1
00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000
Downloaded from
YTS.MX
2
00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000
Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX
3
00:00:31,573 --> 00:00:33,908
This is the story of a new world,
4
00:00:34,534 --> 00:00:36,453
a world that begins in the mysterious,
5
00:00:36,536 --> 00:00:39,414
and invisible
universe of atoms and molecules,
6
00:00:40,165 --> 00:00:44,336
which combine countless numbers
to form everything we see and touch.
7
00:00:45,837 --> 00:00:49,507
It is the story of how man,
investigating nature,
8
00:00:49,591 --> 00:00:51,384
has learned from nature's examples
9
00:00:51,468 --> 00:00:54,888
to join these same atoms
and molecules to form substances
10
00:00:54,971 --> 00:00:56,848
never before seen under the sun.
11
00:00:57,891 --> 00:01:00,602
These new materials
are the world of plastics.
12
00:01:01,519 --> 00:01:03,355
The world that nature forgot.
13
00:01:08,151 --> 00:01:10,987
We discovered these miracle materials.
14
00:01:11,988 --> 00:01:14,908
We didn't ask the right questions.
We just said, "Wow!
15
00:01:14,991 --> 00:01:17,827
Look what this stuff can do.
It's so cool."
16
00:01:19,913 --> 00:01:22,499
And now we're realizing
we made some big mistakes.
17
00:01:24,334 --> 00:01:28,963
Microplastics are possibly
the most serious type
18
00:01:29,047 --> 00:01:32,050
of pollutant
our society has ever created.
19
00:01:33,301 --> 00:01:37,013
These invisible particles
have been found
20
00:01:37,097 --> 00:01:42,602
on the highest mountains,
in the deepest ocean sediments,
21
00:01:44,270 --> 00:01:46,690
and now we're finding microplastics
22
00:01:46,773 --> 00:01:48,483
wherever we look in the human body.
23
00:01:50,110 --> 00:01:53,488
And once these tiny particles
are in our bodies,
24
00:01:53,571 --> 00:01:57,826
they're oozing their toxic ingredients
25
00:01:57,909 --> 00:01:59,327
on a minute-by-minute basis.
26
00:02:00,578 --> 00:02:02,997
We know that the chemicals
that are in plastics
27
00:02:03,081 --> 00:02:05,834
could create health problems
like obesity,
28
00:02:05,917 --> 00:02:09,754
or diabetes, or heart disease,
or fertility problems,
29
00:02:09,838 --> 00:02:11,965
or possibly even cancer.
30
00:02:14,009 --> 00:02:16,636
It's a conundrum we find ourselves in.
31
00:02:17,679 --> 00:02:20,432
We got a figure out
how to deal with that conundrum.
32
00:02:36,364 --> 00:02:39,367
Every day, I start my day
33
00:02:39,451 --> 00:02:44,289
by putting plastic in my eyes,
and it's crazy,
34
00:02:44,372 --> 00:02:49,502
because I literally see the world
through a plastic lens.
35
00:02:51,880 --> 00:02:55,800
I started investigating
plastic about 15 years ago.
36
00:02:55,884 --> 00:02:59,554
That's when people started
looking at the Great Garbage Patch,
37
00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:04,434
and then we started noticing
that it was impacting animals.
38
00:03:04,517 --> 00:03:07,270
One of the first things that
we saw was the bird carcass.
39
00:03:07,354 --> 00:03:10,231
It was shocking. There was probably
as much plastic in the bird
40
00:03:10,315 --> 00:03:12,275
as there were bones left in the bird.
41
00:03:13,109 --> 00:03:14,402
So, for me, it was realizing
42
00:03:14,486 --> 00:03:17,030
that a lot of plastic
was disguised as food,
43
00:03:17,113 --> 00:03:21,242
and a lot of animals have started eating
a lot of those plastics.
44
00:03:22,660 --> 00:03:26,081
But in fact, human beings
have much more contact with plastics
45
00:03:26,164 --> 00:03:27,707
than your average animal will.
46
00:03:27,791 --> 00:03:31,127
I think about brushing my teeth
with plastic bristles.
47
00:03:31,920 --> 00:03:35,382
They're in the dust, so, we're actually
breathing microplastics.
48
00:03:35,465 --> 00:03:39,344
One study found that it's in about
83 percent of the drinking water
49
00:03:39,427 --> 00:03:40,679
that comes out of our taps,
50
00:03:41,680 --> 00:03:44,974
and of course, microplastics
are in the food that we eat.
51
00:03:45,058 --> 00:03:48,019
We are slowly turning
into plastic people.
52
00:03:48,812 --> 00:03:50,730
And scientists have been
studying plastics
53
00:03:50,814 --> 00:03:53,233
and the impacts of plastics
on our environment,
54
00:03:53,316 --> 00:03:54,859
on the planetary body.
55
00:03:55,527 --> 00:03:57,696
But what we really need
to start doing now
56
00:03:57,779 --> 00:03:59,906
is looking at the impacts
on the human body.
57
00:04:02,701 --> 00:04:04,452
And that's what I'm going to do.
58
00:04:07,956 --> 00:04:11,418
Plastic, plastic, plastic.
59
00:04:12,293 --> 00:04:14,045
What are plastics?
60
00:04:17,090 --> 00:04:18,675
Are they animal,
61
00:04:19,259 --> 00:04:20,844
vegetable,
62
00:04:20,927 --> 00:04:22,303
or mineral?
63
00:04:25,306 --> 00:04:29,477
Plastic is by and large
a derivative of petrochemicals,
64
00:04:30,270 --> 00:04:31,855
so it's not a coincidence
65
00:04:31,938 --> 00:04:33,982
that many of the big plastics
companies in the world
66
00:04:34,065 --> 00:04:37,068
are actually branch plants
of big oil companies.
67
00:04:42,490 --> 00:04:44,492
We pump the oil out of the ground.
68
00:04:44,576 --> 00:04:48,163
We crack that oil into
different types of chemicals.
69
00:04:48,955 --> 00:04:51,875
Those chemicals are polymerized
so that those molecules
70
00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:54,753
are connected to create
different types of plastic.
71
00:04:58,590 --> 00:05:01,009
That whole process
creates its own pollution,
72
00:05:01,092 --> 00:05:03,011
including climate-warming gases.
73
00:05:04,137 --> 00:05:07,682
Those many types of plastics
are made into different products
74
00:05:08,433 --> 00:05:10,685
that are shipped worldwide.
75
00:05:11,353 --> 00:05:14,481
One of the things that's hard
to wrap your brain around,
76
00:05:14,564 --> 00:05:16,274
when it comes to the plastics industry,
77
00:05:16,358 --> 00:05:19,819
is how astronomically huge
the numbers are.
78
00:05:20,737 --> 00:05:24,449
Over 1.5 billion plastic bottles
79
00:05:24,532 --> 00:05:27,035
being bought
around the planet every day.
80
00:05:27,744 --> 00:05:29,954
Two million plastic bags
81
00:05:30,038 --> 00:05:32,832
are used every minute on Earth.
82
00:05:35,710 --> 00:05:38,838
The end result of this
is about 400 million tons
83
00:05:38,922 --> 00:05:40,924
of plastics that are created every year.
84
00:05:42,217 --> 00:05:45,428
Almost half of all plastic produced
85
00:05:45,512 --> 00:05:47,514
goes into single-use items.
86
00:05:49,724 --> 00:05:53,436
Today, even the biggest oil companies
in the world are admitting
87
00:05:53,520 --> 00:05:56,231
that we're going to be using
less oil in the years ahead.
88
00:05:57,023 --> 00:06:00,610
And if you can't burn oil in cars,
89
00:06:00,694 --> 00:06:02,696
if that market is disappearing
90
00:06:02,779 --> 00:06:04,656
over the next few decades,
what will you do with that product?
91
00:06:05,865 --> 00:06:10,704
Well, increasing
the plasticization of the human life
92
00:06:11,705 --> 00:06:13,289
is where their oil is going to go.
93
00:06:14,416 --> 00:06:17,669
Plastic companies are talking
about tripling plastic use
94
00:06:17,752 --> 00:06:19,921
in production
over the next couple of decades.
95
00:06:22,173 --> 00:06:24,592
So, it's a double whammy as a product
96
00:06:24,676 --> 00:06:28,096
that is contributing
to the global warming problem,
97
00:06:28,847 --> 00:06:32,475
and creating this
toxic exposure problem.
98
00:06:40,859 --> 00:06:43,862
Some of the work that we're doing here,
at the University of Minnesota,
99
00:06:43,945 --> 00:06:45,697
is urban air sampling.
100
00:06:46,573 --> 00:06:51,161
We're finding particles
in our sampler with snow and rain.
101
00:06:51,244 --> 00:06:52,871
Plastic is just everywhere,
102
00:06:53,538 --> 00:06:55,874
and this is the evolution
of this discipline
103
00:06:55,957 --> 00:06:58,084
is that we started off
looking at big things,
104
00:06:58,168 --> 00:07:00,920
but now we've got these
teeny, teeny, tiny little flakes.
105
00:07:01,004 --> 00:07:05,467
And we're trying to understand
how these materials flow
106
00:07:05,550 --> 00:07:08,261
and then, yeah, where do
they eventually come to rest?
107
00:07:08,345 --> 00:07:09,888
And if they do, how long?
108
00:07:10,055 --> 00:07:13,016
I mean, you look at something
like a plastic bag,
109
00:07:13,099 --> 00:07:14,392
the cereal bag,
110
00:07:14,684 --> 00:07:16,770
and when you look really closely at it
111
00:07:16,853 --> 00:07:19,606
under an electron microscope,
112
00:07:19,689 --> 00:07:21,816
you can suddenly see
all these little particles
113
00:07:21,900 --> 00:07:24,986
that are just about ready to shed.
114
00:07:25,737 --> 00:07:28,031
That's a little bit
of the rolled-up adhesive.
115
00:07:28,114 --> 00:07:30,116
Yeah. Imagine having that for breakfast.
116
00:07:37,499 --> 00:07:39,709
- Hey!
- Hey. Good to meet you. Hi!
117
00:07:39,793 --> 00:07:42,712
- It's so good to meet you, too.
- Yeah. At last.
118
00:07:42,796 --> 00:07:44,631
- Yeah, come on in.
- Thank you so much.
119
00:07:44,714 --> 00:07:46,966
I'm looking forward to finding out
120
00:07:47,050 --> 00:07:49,344
what you actually
discovered in my home.
121
00:07:50,136 --> 00:07:53,598
So, what we do is we take a sample
122
00:07:53,807 --> 00:07:56,101
and we reduce the volume,
123
00:07:56,184 --> 00:07:57,519
and then we stain it.
124
00:07:57,602 --> 00:08:01,231
And that causes the
synthetic polymers to fluoresce.
125
00:08:01,439 --> 00:08:03,942
So this is from your house dust.
126
00:08:04,025 --> 00:08:07,445
Some of these are fluorescing.
They're pretty easy to...
127
00:08:07,529 --> 00:08:09,364
- Spot.
- To spot, yeah. And, so...
128
00:08:09,572 --> 00:08:12,826
those are very likely
synthetic polymers.
129
00:08:12,909 --> 00:08:14,953
- And this is just a speck of dust.
- I know.
130
00:08:15,036 --> 00:08:16,705
So, if this is from one speck...
131
00:08:16,788 --> 00:08:18,873
- How much is in the house?
- I can't even begin to imagine
132
00:08:18,957 --> 00:08:20,875
- how much is in the house.
- Right, right.
133
00:08:20,959 --> 00:08:23,920
I'm fortunate that
I've been able to kind of test
134
00:08:24,004 --> 00:08:26,006
some things just for fun.
135
00:08:26,089 --> 00:08:29,426
- This is some dried mucus from...
- Wow!
136
00:08:29,509 --> 00:08:31,761
the nose of a small person
137
00:08:31,845 --> 00:08:34,014
that I happen to live with.
And...
138
00:08:34,097 --> 00:08:36,558
- This is a... A booger.
- Yes. Yeah.
139
00:08:36,641 --> 00:08:40,395
Look at this. Look at all that.
There's red threads in there,
140
00:08:40,478 --> 00:08:43,231
that would definitely
not be a human hair.
141
00:08:44,190 --> 00:08:46,401
There are so many
different kinds of contaminants
142
00:08:46,484 --> 00:08:48,028
that are in consumer products.
143
00:08:48,111 --> 00:08:51,322
We just assume that they've
all been completely tested
144
00:08:51,406 --> 00:08:54,951
and that they're completely safe,
and we bring them into our homes,
145
00:08:55,035 --> 00:08:57,203
and we just...
We live alongside them.
146
00:08:57,370 --> 00:08:59,914
And we think that they're
doing us absolutely no harm,
147
00:08:59,998 --> 00:09:01,791
when that isn't necessarily the case.
148
00:09:02,167 --> 00:09:04,210
There's so little transparency.
149
00:09:04,294 --> 00:09:07,297
- This is plastic.
- Yeah, it's a dollhouse.
150
00:09:08,131 --> 00:09:10,508
We are conducting an experiment,
151
00:09:10,592 --> 00:09:13,178
and the entire population is involved.
152
00:09:14,095 --> 00:09:17,182
We can try and
kind of safeguard our home,
153
00:09:17,265 --> 00:09:20,977
but it's a global commons issue.
It's everywhere.
154
00:09:21,603 --> 00:09:24,773
You go out into the world,
and you're going to be exposed to it.
155
00:09:25,482 --> 00:09:30,195
I've taken some samples of snow
that's fallen in my backyard,
156
00:09:30,278 --> 00:09:34,240
and found tiny fragments
of plastic particles in it,
157
00:09:34,908 --> 00:09:36,993
and when I came home,
I told my children
158
00:09:37,077 --> 00:09:39,829
to not catch snowflakes.
159
00:09:42,207 --> 00:09:44,250
It's hard to wrap your head around,
but virtually
160
00:09:44,376 --> 00:09:47,837
every molecule of plastic ever created
161
00:09:47,921 --> 00:09:49,589
still exists somewhere on Earth,
162
00:09:50,965 --> 00:09:53,385
in some stage of degradation,
163
00:09:53,968 --> 00:09:55,845
because this stuff never disappears.
164
00:09:55,929 --> 00:10:00,475
It just goes from
being larger pieces of litter
165
00:10:00,558 --> 00:10:04,479
to tinier and tinier particles
that become microscopic.
166
00:10:06,314 --> 00:10:07,899
The definition is just,
a piece of plastic
167
00:10:07,982 --> 00:10:09,484
less than five millimeters in size.
168
00:10:09,567 --> 00:10:11,277
So, a pencil eraser
and smaller.
169
00:10:12,028 --> 00:10:13,446
Somebody buys the bottle,
170
00:10:13,530 --> 00:10:15,782
the bottle is used for a few minutes.
171
00:10:15,865 --> 00:10:17,242
The bottle's discarded.
172
00:10:17,325 --> 00:10:20,245
Once it's in the environment,
it is broken down by sunlight,
173
00:10:20,328 --> 00:10:23,581
by the action of waves,
by the passing of time.
174
00:10:24,457 --> 00:10:26,835
It starts to degrade
into these tiny particles
175
00:10:26,918 --> 00:10:28,169
that are so light,
176
00:10:28,253 --> 00:10:30,922
and they come down in the rain,
they accumulate in our food,
177
00:10:31,965 --> 00:10:34,217
and we're absorbing them
into our own bodies.
178
00:10:35,677 --> 00:10:37,804
One of the largest
sources of microplastics
179
00:10:37,887 --> 00:10:40,598
into the environment
is mismanaged waste.
180
00:10:40,682 --> 00:10:44,769
Aside from large items
breaking into smaller items,
181
00:10:44,853 --> 00:10:49,941
one of the most common sources
is paint from buildings and boats,
182
00:10:50,358 --> 00:10:54,195
tire dust from cars, bikes, planes.
183
00:10:55,447 --> 00:10:59,034
As we wear clothing
that's increasingly plastic,
184
00:10:59,117 --> 00:11:01,536
those fibers shed,
185
00:11:02,203 --> 00:11:03,580
go down the drain,
186
00:11:03,663 --> 00:11:06,207
wind up in the local lakes and rivers,
187
00:11:06,332 --> 00:11:10,920
and those fibers are
a big source of microplastics as well.
188
00:11:12,547 --> 00:11:14,883
There are estimates
that suggest that anywhere
189
00:11:14,966 --> 00:11:18,136
from 10 to 20 million
metric tons of plastic
190
00:11:18,219 --> 00:11:21,973
are leaving our land and going
out into the ocean each year.
191
00:11:22,057 --> 00:11:23,600
Now, some of that will stay
on the surface,
192
00:11:23,683 --> 00:11:25,435
and float, and travel quite far.
193
00:11:25,518 --> 00:11:28,188
Some of it, as it breaks down
into smaller and smaller pieces,
194
00:11:28,271 --> 00:11:31,441
can go up into the atmosphere
and travel globally that way.
195
00:11:33,318 --> 00:11:35,236
Some of it will sink to the bottom.
196
00:11:37,113 --> 00:11:40,784
It is eaten by almost
every level of the food chain,
197
00:11:41,576 --> 00:11:45,163
and now we're starting to understand
that microbes colonize it,
198
00:11:45,455 --> 00:11:48,208
and so, in and of itself
becomes this habitat.
199
00:11:49,376 --> 00:11:51,795
So it's atmospheric currents,
global dust cycles,
200
00:11:51,878 --> 00:11:53,713
the water cycle, the carbon cycle.
201
00:11:54,714 --> 00:11:57,676
It's sort of becomes
part of these planetary cycles.
202
00:12:10,980 --> 00:12:13,692
This part of the Mediterranean Sea
is the most polluted part
203
00:12:13,775 --> 00:12:15,819
in terms of plastic pollution.
204
00:12:17,070 --> 00:12:20,907
There could be many different sources,
but the first thing is...
205
00:12:21,491 --> 00:12:24,703
dumping of the plastic waste
into the Mediterranean Sea.
206
00:12:26,705 --> 00:12:28,498
This beach receives
207
00:12:29,040 --> 00:12:33,044
between 30 to 35 kilograms of plastics
208
00:12:33,211 --> 00:12:35,088
per day per kilometer.
209
00:12:35,171 --> 00:12:36,798
That's really high.
210
00:12:37,716 --> 00:12:41,302
Global northern countries
also responsible for this pollution.
211
00:12:42,512 --> 00:12:45,223
Those countries
have a clean environment,
212
00:12:45,807 --> 00:12:47,809
exporting plastic waste
213
00:12:47,892 --> 00:12:49,811
to countries like Turkey, Malaysia,
214
00:12:49,894 --> 00:12:51,813
Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam.
215
00:12:52,731 --> 00:12:54,649
We call it waste colonialism.
216
00:13:00,447 --> 00:13:03,700
Here we can see
the microplastics
217
00:13:03,783 --> 00:13:05,785
on this sieve.
218
00:13:06,995 --> 00:13:09,956
Anything we produce
219
00:13:10,040 --> 00:13:11,708
is contaminated with plastic.
220
00:13:12,292 --> 00:13:14,044
We are living on the plastisphere.
221
00:13:14,711 --> 00:13:18,548
We are producing our food
in the plasticulture way.
222
00:13:24,804 --> 00:13:27,849
This is the starting point
of the entrance,
223
00:13:27,932 --> 00:13:30,560
the involvement of plastic
inside the food chain.
224
00:13:31,436 --> 00:13:37,859
So, as you see there, one layer,
just covered soil.
225
00:13:38,443 --> 00:13:43,573
Under this sheet,
there is another plastic here.
226
00:13:43,656 --> 00:13:45,742
This is for irrigation.
227
00:13:46,618 --> 00:13:49,996
They use single-use pipe
as we see here.
228
00:13:50,288 --> 00:13:52,248
You see, this is from last year,
229
00:13:53,083 --> 00:13:55,335
shredded because of the tractor.
230
00:13:55,418 --> 00:13:58,922
The idea is making harvesting...
231
00:14:00,590 --> 00:14:02,175
time shorter.
232
00:14:02,717 --> 00:14:05,929
The cost of removal is really high,
233
00:14:06,012 --> 00:14:10,058
so that's why they are just leaving it
in the field, because no one cares.
234
00:14:10,225 --> 00:14:12,686
There are no rules for this.
There is no legislation.
235
00:14:14,062 --> 00:14:17,357
This is soil or plastic?
Plastisoil.
236
00:14:17,440 --> 00:14:22,529
There is no way to clean this
microplastic from the environment.
237
00:14:23,154 --> 00:14:25,657
The world does not deserve...
238
00:14:27,784 --> 00:14:31,037
single-use application
because the world is not single-use.
239
00:14:31,746 --> 00:14:34,332
We are producing poisonous food.
240
00:14:34,416 --> 00:14:37,293
We are poisoning ourselves
with our hand.
241
00:14:44,509 --> 00:14:48,138
Okay, so, I'm just
getting ready to go to Rochester,
242
00:14:48,221 --> 00:14:50,932
because they want some samples
243
00:14:51,933 --> 00:14:54,769
to test the microplastics in my body.
244
00:14:59,733 --> 00:15:01,359
This...
245
00:15:01,443 --> 00:15:04,487
is the shit
that I do for science, literally.
246
00:15:08,616 --> 00:15:10,618
I sent fecal samples
247
00:15:10,702 --> 00:15:13,830
to you guys to test for microplastics,
248
00:15:13,913 --> 00:15:15,957
and with bated breath,
249
00:15:16,041 --> 00:15:19,461
I've been sort of wondering
what the results were.
250
00:15:20,170 --> 00:15:21,421
When we get a sample,
251
00:15:21,504 --> 00:15:25,050
the first thing that we need to do
is add hydrogen peroxide.
252
00:15:25,967 --> 00:15:29,721
Hydrogen peroxide
is going to eat away at the organics,
253
00:15:29,804 --> 00:15:31,097
and leave the plastics.
254
00:15:31,681 --> 00:15:34,517
So, once we get those off,
we get them onto filters
255
00:15:34,601 --> 00:15:36,936
so that we can look at them
under an optical microscope,
256
00:15:37,020 --> 00:15:39,814
to look for fragments,
and fibers, and foams.
257
00:15:41,149 --> 00:15:42,400
So we take it from there,
258
00:15:42,484 --> 00:15:45,987
and use an IR microscope
to positively identify,
259
00:15:46,071 --> 00:15:48,656
what is the chemical makeup
of the compounds.
260
00:15:49,824 --> 00:15:52,744
What we're looking
at is the optical microscope right now.
261
00:15:53,119 --> 00:15:54,662
- So, you can see this grid.
- Right.
262
00:15:54,746 --> 00:15:56,706
And so, this grid
is three millimeters in size.
263
00:15:56,790 --> 00:16:00,543
So we get over here in the corner,
this blackish-bluish type of fiber.
264
00:16:00,627 --> 00:16:02,087
A fiber as well, another one.
265
00:16:02,420 --> 00:16:05,423
Come into here, and we can see this...
This very small fragment,
266
00:16:05,507 --> 00:16:08,551
which we're talking about
in the order of tens of microns.
267
00:16:08,635 --> 00:16:11,888
It came up with a very
clear fit to being polypropylene.
268
00:16:12,263 --> 00:16:13,848
So, disposable masks.
269
00:16:14,015 --> 00:16:15,475
Candy wrappers,
270
00:16:15,558 --> 00:16:16,851
salad bags.
271
00:16:16,935 --> 00:16:19,604
Polypropylene tends to be
the more crinkly stuff.
272
00:16:20,063 --> 00:16:22,273
So, this fiber that we saw here,
it was cotton.
273
00:16:22,357 --> 00:16:24,275
So we're seeing a number of cotton ones.
274
00:16:24,359 --> 00:16:26,319
Come down here,
and this is being rayon,
275
00:16:26,403 --> 00:16:28,446
a semisynthetic type of fiber.
276
00:16:28,530 --> 00:16:30,740
Come down further here,
and we have polyester.
277
00:16:31,032 --> 00:16:33,702
Synthetic clothing, any fleece.
278
00:16:33,952 --> 00:16:36,413
It's pretty shocking because...
279
00:16:36,496 --> 00:16:38,373
You know,
I'm still processing the fact
280
00:16:38,456 --> 00:16:40,333
that this stuff is really in my body.
281
00:16:40,750 --> 00:16:42,836
- Yeah.
- You know...
282
00:16:42,919 --> 00:16:45,422
This came out, too, right, so there
may be some that was retained,
283
00:16:45,505 --> 00:16:47,215
- That's stuck.
- that we're not measuring. Right.
284
00:16:47,298 --> 00:16:49,259
Do you think
everybody has microplastics?
285
00:16:49,342 --> 00:16:50,760
- Yes.
- Everybody.
286
00:16:50,844 --> 00:16:52,429
- Yeah, no doubt.
- No doubt?
287
00:16:52,512 --> 00:16:54,347
No doubt, because it's everywhere.
288
00:16:55,682 --> 00:16:58,059
So, every single person is exposed.
289
00:17:04,190 --> 00:17:06,443
Right now, I'm going in for a mammogram,
290
00:17:06,526 --> 00:17:09,404
and also going in for an ultrasound.
291
00:17:09,487 --> 00:17:13,450
There's quite a bit of cancer
in my family, unfortunately.
292
00:17:14,284 --> 00:17:17,037
Three of my mom's sisters
have had cancer.
293
00:17:17,120 --> 00:17:19,289
My dad's brother had cancer.
294
00:17:19,372 --> 00:17:23,126
My dad is currently
getting tested for cancer,
295
00:17:23,209 --> 00:17:26,838
and I get tested every year,
because I'm in the high-risk category.
296
00:17:27,672 --> 00:17:29,924
I don't think I'm different
from very many people.
297
00:17:30,008 --> 00:17:32,802
I remember growing up
and cancer was this big,
298
00:17:32,886 --> 00:17:37,307
scary “C word,” and now,
just about everybody I know
299
00:17:37,390 --> 00:17:39,434
has somebody with cancer
in their family.
300
00:17:40,268 --> 00:17:42,729
We don't actually know
the exact causes.
301
00:17:42,812 --> 00:17:45,940
It could be so many different things.
It could be the pollutants in the air,
302
00:17:46,024 --> 00:17:47,525
it could be the meat
that people are eating.
303
00:17:47,609 --> 00:17:48,860
It could be the plastics.
304
00:17:53,490 --> 00:17:57,118
There are tens of thousands
of chemicals in commerce,
305
00:17:57,202 --> 00:17:59,162
many of which
are used to make plastics.
306
00:18:00,163 --> 00:18:03,083
And virtually none of these chemicals
have been tested for safety.
307
00:18:07,420 --> 00:18:10,256
We don't really know how many
are present in a plastic item.
308
00:18:10,340 --> 00:18:13,677
We don't know the types of chemicals
that are present in a plastic,
309
00:18:13,760 --> 00:18:16,429
because that's proprietary
information for the business.
310
00:18:16,513 --> 00:18:18,348
And so, these are all trade secrets
311
00:18:18,431 --> 00:18:21,643
so that people don't get the
recipe from another competitor
312
00:18:21,726 --> 00:18:23,311
for what's in their plastic.
313
00:18:24,646 --> 00:18:27,232
That's what we're working on right now.
We're looking to see
314
00:18:27,315 --> 00:18:29,693
if this particle ends up
in this part of the body,
315
00:18:29,776 --> 00:18:32,362
and we know that it has
these kinds of chemicals with it,
316
00:18:32,445 --> 00:18:34,155
how much of a dose will we get,
317
00:18:34,239 --> 00:18:36,116
and what kind of impact
would that be
318
00:18:36,199 --> 00:18:38,785
if we're continually dosing ourselves
with chemicals like that?
319
00:18:41,454 --> 00:18:45,500
The study of toxicity
of microplastics is in its infancy,
320
00:18:45,542 --> 00:18:47,711
but we're beginning to learn
321
00:18:48,044 --> 00:18:50,046
that they are a transport mechanism
322
00:18:50,130 --> 00:18:51,423
for getting...
323
00:18:52,215 --> 00:18:54,426
bad chemicals into people.
324
00:18:55,552 --> 00:18:59,764
A key part of this story
is the human endocrine system.
325
00:19:00,306 --> 00:19:02,434
We have glands in us that make hormones.
326
00:19:03,143 --> 00:19:05,895
And those hormones,
they guide the development
327
00:19:05,979 --> 00:19:07,897
of virtually everything,
328
00:19:07,981 --> 00:19:09,399
how many fingers we have,
329
00:19:09,482 --> 00:19:12,944
is our brain wired properly,
can we reproduce?
330
00:19:13,486 --> 00:19:17,907
There's an amplification process
that can make one molecule
331
00:19:18,908 --> 00:19:21,911
have a signal
that's up to a hundred thousand,
332
00:19:21,995 --> 00:19:26,332
if not a million times,
bigger than the original signal.
333
00:19:27,125 --> 00:19:29,919
And that means that very small doses
334
00:19:30,003 --> 00:19:32,505
can have really big effects.
335
00:19:35,091 --> 00:19:39,262
Some chemicals in plastics
hack that signaling system.
336
00:19:41,556 --> 00:19:43,266
So, there's any number of chemicals
337
00:19:43,350 --> 00:19:46,561
that are deliberately put
in different types of plastic
338
00:19:46,644 --> 00:19:49,689
that we know are disruptive
to our hormones.
339
00:19:51,149 --> 00:19:53,818
Chemicals like phthalates, for instance,
340
00:19:53,902 --> 00:19:57,113
which are very, very common in plastics.
They're a softener.
341
00:19:57,364 --> 00:20:01,201
Phthalates will take a rigid material,
and they'll make it more flexible.
342
00:20:11,211 --> 00:20:15,590
BPA is a very well-known
chemical now, still very common.
343
00:20:25,350 --> 00:20:26,726
We know now there's a link
344
00:20:26,810 --> 00:20:29,479
between these chemicals
and human disease
345
00:20:29,562 --> 00:20:31,481
like breast cancer, prostate cancer.
346
00:20:35,402 --> 00:20:38,071
We know that a lot
of these chemicals trigger obesity.
347
00:20:39,989 --> 00:20:43,535
Another condition
that is now tied firmly
348
00:20:44,202 --> 00:20:47,414
to chemicals leaching out
of plastics,
349
00:20:47,706 --> 00:20:48,957
is infertility.
350
00:20:51,042 --> 00:20:54,254
If you simply take the data that they
have gathered over sperm count
351
00:20:54,337 --> 00:20:55,839
and how much it's declined,
352
00:20:56,589 --> 00:20:58,925
and you just project it forward
into the future,
353
00:20:59,009 --> 00:21:00,260
by 2045,
354
00:21:01,177 --> 00:21:03,680
a lot of young adult males
355
00:21:03,763 --> 00:21:07,142
will not be able to reproduce
the normal old-fashioned way.
356
00:21:08,977 --> 00:21:12,439
But there's another twist to this,
which is: the plastics that are used
357
00:21:13,314 --> 00:21:15,567
during the process
of artificial reproduction
358
00:21:16,276 --> 00:21:18,278
interfere with artificial reproduction.
359
00:21:19,446 --> 00:21:21,489
So, people should pay attention to this.
360
00:21:21,573 --> 00:21:23,074
It's happening today.
361
00:21:57,025 --> 00:21:58,276
He's beautiful.
362
00:22:01,821 --> 00:22:03,740
He's truly beautiful.
363
00:22:03,823 --> 00:22:05,575
He's got lots of hair.
364
00:22:15,919 --> 00:22:18,088
The placenta has a fundamental function,
365
00:22:18,171 --> 00:22:20,256
it is a temporary organ.
366
00:22:21,675 --> 00:22:24,594
The organ is for the child,
not for the mother.
367
00:22:24,678 --> 00:22:25,929
Thanks.
368
00:22:28,056 --> 00:22:33,103
We found women who gave us
their placenta,
369
00:22:34,187 --> 00:22:38,358
In these four placentas,
we found 12 plastic pieces.
370
00:22:41,653 --> 00:22:46,074
Some of these plastic particles
were particles of polypropylene.
371
00:22:46,157 --> 00:22:48,910
So we wondered,
“if we found plastic in the placenta,
372
00:22:49,285 --> 00:22:53,540
maybe we could find plastic
in breast milk?”
373
00:22:53,623 --> 00:22:56,584
34 mothers participated in our study,
374
00:22:56,668 --> 00:23:02,507
we found plastic in 26 samples
375
00:23:02,757 --> 00:23:05,635
Okay, we found plastic in the placenta.
376
00:23:05,719 --> 00:23:07,262
But where, precisely?
377
00:23:09,431 --> 00:23:13,351
We found out plastic
was inside the cells.
378
00:23:14,853 --> 00:23:18,481
The cell, the fundamental part of life,
379
00:23:18,565 --> 00:23:21,693
is made of tiny structures.
380
00:23:23,486 --> 00:23:25,697
We found out that when a microplastic
381
00:23:25,780 --> 00:23:29,159
is inside these structures,
it destroys them.
382
00:23:34,080 --> 00:23:38,585
It is sad if this happens
when a baby is forming
383
00:23:39,169 --> 00:23:43,340
because plastic will alter
the way DNA is expressed.
384
00:23:48,386 --> 00:23:52,349
Plastic itself is not a problem.
It's an extraordinary useful material.
385
00:23:53,224 --> 00:23:55,935
We can do incredible things
with plastic.
386
00:23:56,478 --> 00:24:00,482
Heart prosthesis, hip prosthesis.
387
00:24:00,857 --> 00:24:07,155
We couldn't live on this planet,
without plastic.
388
00:24:07,238 --> 00:24:09,866
The problem is how we use plastic,
389
00:24:09,949 --> 00:24:13,119
how we use this wonderful resource?
390
00:24:13,203 --> 00:24:16,039
We exploit it in stupid ways,
like making
391
00:24:16,122 --> 00:24:18,249
plastic bottles for soda or water.
392
00:24:22,295 --> 00:24:24,547
If we see the world as a place...
393
00:24:25,965 --> 00:24:28,885
full of resources
we can exploit for profit,
394
00:24:28,968 --> 00:24:30,512
we don't feel wonder anymore,
395
00:24:30,595 --> 00:24:33,515
we don't see the beauty of this world.
396
00:24:35,266 --> 00:24:37,977
We, too, become part of the technology.
397
00:24:39,187 --> 00:24:41,690
And we are useful as far
as we can do something
398
00:24:41,773 --> 00:24:44,442
within the economic paradigm.
399
00:24:46,444 --> 00:24:49,406
We must change the way
we see the world.
400
00:24:50,115 --> 00:24:52,617
That is, when Coca-Cola,
401
00:24:52,701 --> 00:24:55,912
who produce
trillions of dollars in profit,
402
00:24:56,246 --> 00:25:00,458
and are aware of the damage they cause,
they know the truth,
403
00:25:00,500 --> 00:25:05,463
they destroy our world to enrich a few,
404
00:25:05,547 --> 00:25:07,090
so we must revolt.
405
00:25:08,133 --> 00:25:12,095
The main goal of our studies
is rebellion, revolt.
406
00:25:23,982 --> 00:25:25,233
I'm a physician.
407
00:25:26,067 --> 00:25:28,987
I work in the emergency
department in the hospital.
408
00:25:30,405 --> 00:25:33,158
Today, I'm exactly 36 weeks.
409
00:25:34,909 --> 00:25:36,453
This is our first child.
410
00:25:39,831 --> 00:25:42,250
I don't know if it's
because of the hormones, but...
411
00:25:42,292 --> 00:25:45,337
sometimes I have periods
where I would like, think,
412
00:25:45,420 --> 00:25:48,590
"Is this the world where
I want to bring up my child?”
413
00:25:48,673 --> 00:25:51,593
And everything
seems bad and bad for you.
414
00:25:51,676 --> 00:25:53,762
And the choices that you are making.
415
00:25:55,972 --> 00:25:58,141
Yes, it's sometimes a bit difficult.
416
00:26:00,935 --> 00:26:02,896
I'm a frequently plastic user.
417
00:26:02,979 --> 00:26:06,816
Like, I have my little plastic
water bottle. It's handy.
418
00:26:06,900 --> 00:26:10,570
But when I was really paying attention,
419
00:26:10,653 --> 00:26:12,906
I was like,
"We use a lot of plastic."
420
00:26:14,115 --> 00:26:17,452
So what kind of effects that could have
421
00:26:17,535 --> 00:26:19,829
on the developing of the child?
422
00:26:39,432 --> 00:26:43,061
- So good to meet you. At last!
- You, too. Welcome to Holland.
423
00:26:43,144 --> 00:26:44,396
Thank you.
424
00:26:44,521 --> 00:26:46,231
So you've got to tell me, how does a...
425
00:26:46,314 --> 00:26:49,651
How does a pediatrician
start studying microplastics?
426
00:26:49,734 --> 00:26:52,445
As pediatricians, we are used to
treating illnesses in children,
427
00:26:52,529 --> 00:26:54,864
but we are also trained
to prevent illness,
428
00:26:54,948 --> 00:26:56,449
because prevention
is always better than...
429
00:26:56,533 --> 00:26:58,535
- Thank you.
- Better than cure.
430
00:26:58,618 --> 00:27:00,620
- Right.
- And... And about 25 years ago,
431
00:27:00,704 --> 00:27:04,833
we started doing research
on dioxins, for instance, that...
432
00:27:06,126 --> 00:27:10,088
That are formed with
the incineration of plastics.
433
00:27:10,171 --> 00:27:13,425
And dioxins can have
an effect on, basically,
434
00:27:13,508 --> 00:27:15,885
development of all sorts
of organ systems in your body,
435
00:27:15,969 --> 00:27:18,638
whether it be your brain,
your teeth, your lungs.
436
00:27:28,314 --> 00:27:29,733
We took a step further and we said,
437
00:27:29,816 --> 00:27:32,569
"Hey, what about the plastics
that are being used,
438
00:27:32,652 --> 00:27:34,696
especially the
hormone-disrupting chemicals?"
439
00:27:34,779 --> 00:27:36,990
What we've seen in the last
one to two generations
440
00:27:37,073 --> 00:27:39,701
is a major increase
in the number of breast cancers,
441
00:27:39,784 --> 00:27:42,287
prostate cancers, testicular cancers,
442
00:27:42,579 --> 00:27:43,955
even thyroid cancers.
443
00:27:44,039 --> 00:27:45,915
So, what we've been seeing
is the correlation
444
00:27:45,999 --> 00:27:48,877
between the use of these,
445
00:27:48,960 --> 00:27:50,378
and the production of the plastics,
446
00:27:50,462 --> 00:27:52,088
and the increase in the cancers.
447
00:27:52,172 --> 00:27:54,174
What concerns me is that a child
448
00:27:54,257 --> 00:27:57,093
is not only being exposed like we are,
449
00:27:57,218 --> 00:28:00,096
but a fetus is developing
at a far greater rate.
450
00:28:00,180 --> 00:28:02,932
And not only the organs,
but all the tissue.
451
00:28:03,016 --> 00:28:05,602
It's all developing.
The consequences are far greater
452
00:28:05,685 --> 00:28:08,229
because you've been born
with a problem.
453
00:28:08,313 --> 00:28:11,900
These babies are being born
pre-polluted, in a sense.
454
00:28:11,983 --> 00:28:14,527
Yes, we are a product
of our environment.
455
00:28:15,487 --> 00:28:16,780
Hi.
456
00:28:18,782 --> 00:28:20,158
- Welcome.
- Thank you.
457
00:28:20,241 --> 00:28:22,952
- It's good to see you again.
- Good to see you.
458
00:28:23,036 --> 00:28:25,497
I think it's very important
to realize that
459
00:28:25,789 --> 00:28:30,418
you can't do anything about the fact
that there are plastics in your body.
460
00:28:30,502 --> 00:28:32,087
That's the society we live in.
461
00:28:32,170 --> 00:28:36,007
Yeah. It's very difficult because
I don't even know where to start.
462
00:28:36,091 --> 00:28:39,886
Yeah. You do the best you can
to live healthily,
463
00:28:39,969 --> 00:28:42,972
to nurture your baby.
464
00:28:43,723 --> 00:28:45,517
And more than that, you can't do.
465
00:28:46,142 --> 00:28:48,395
And I think the next question
is probably,
466
00:28:48,603 --> 00:28:50,689
what are the effects
of that on the health
467
00:28:50,772 --> 00:28:52,774
and development of the child,
or the fetus and the child?
468
00:28:52,857 --> 00:28:54,192
Yes, yeah.
469
00:28:54,275 --> 00:28:56,820
And I think that's
a very pertinent question also,
470
00:28:56,903 --> 00:28:59,656
and it's a question
we don't have an answer to yet,
471
00:28:59,739 --> 00:29:02,283
and we'll probably
only get to know that in 10,
472
00:29:02,367 --> 00:29:04,244
20, 30 years further,
473
00:29:04,786 --> 00:29:06,996
when these children grow up.
474
00:29:10,834 --> 00:29:12,210
- Good morning.
- Good morning.
475
00:29:12,877 --> 00:29:17,465
That's, unfortunately, the history
of chemical exposures in people.
476
00:29:17,549 --> 00:29:19,009
It's always reactive.
477
00:29:19,092 --> 00:29:22,762
A lot of these effects,
we'll only see many years later.
478
00:29:22,846 --> 00:29:24,931
Boys that are born today will only know
479
00:29:25,015 --> 00:29:28,101
if they have fertility problems
when they start to have kids.
480
00:29:30,603 --> 00:29:32,856
Are we willing to risk a generation
481
00:29:33,648 --> 00:29:35,358
to see if it's there or not?
482
00:29:35,442 --> 00:29:37,235
I think that's playing with fire.
483
00:29:42,198 --> 00:29:44,075
Right now, the system is designed
484
00:29:44,159 --> 00:29:45,827
to let the experiment play out...
485
00:29:48,079 --> 00:29:49,664
on people,
486
00:29:49,748 --> 00:29:53,668
and only once the signal becomes
so big that you can't ignore it,
487
00:29:53,793 --> 00:29:56,254
do they begin to ask questions.
That's wrong.
488
00:29:56,338 --> 00:29:58,673
We need to ask questions
before something
489
00:29:59,382 --> 00:30:03,595
becomes so valuable
to the chemical industry
490
00:30:03,678 --> 00:30:05,680
that they'll do anything
they can to defend it,
491
00:30:05,764 --> 00:30:09,517
and they will do
close to anything to defend
492
00:30:09,601 --> 00:30:11,353
one of their billion-dollar products.
493
00:30:14,064 --> 00:30:15,607
At the nylon trade fair,
494
00:30:15,690 --> 00:30:18,360
you can be sure
there is something to suit all tastes.
495
00:30:20,570 --> 00:30:22,572
On show for the first time at the fair
496
00:30:22,655 --> 00:30:24,366
are nylon carpets and rugs.
497
00:30:26,284 --> 00:30:28,161
Make the word nylon plural,
498
00:30:28,244 --> 00:30:30,914
and even the dumbest of blondes
will know what you mean.
499
00:30:38,004 --> 00:30:42,092
What we do know of people
that work in an environment
500
00:30:42,175 --> 00:30:43,802
with high levels of nylon,
501
00:30:43,885 --> 00:30:46,054
like people working
in a nylon factory...
502
00:30:46,930 --> 00:30:50,642
30 percent of these people
have problems with their lungs.
503
00:30:54,187 --> 00:30:58,733
So that's why we took this model
of living mini-lungs.
504
00:31:00,193 --> 00:31:04,447
And when you put these cells,
lung cells into a culture dish,
505
00:31:04,531 --> 00:31:06,658
we could see what would happen
506
00:31:06,783 --> 00:31:09,244
if there were microplastics present.
507
00:31:11,037 --> 00:31:12,539
Yeah, that's the control.
508
00:31:16,584 --> 00:31:19,754
We take the cells that line
509
00:31:20,588 --> 00:31:26,136
the airways, epithelial cells.
We take these from a human.
510
00:31:27,804 --> 00:31:29,681
- Wow.
- Nice. Quite big ones.
511
00:31:29,764 --> 00:31:31,558
- Yeah, they're huge.
- Yeah.
512
00:31:31,641 --> 00:31:32,976
Okay. So,
513
00:31:33,059 --> 00:31:37,731
these big bubbles, those are
structures that we call airways.
514
00:31:38,273 --> 00:31:40,442
So these are pretty.
There's no other word for it.
515
00:31:40,525 --> 00:31:42,068
They're just nice.
516
00:31:42,152 --> 00:31:43,820
And these are actually alive, right?
517
00:31:43,903 --> 00:31:47,407
It's not a piece of tissue that you cut
and then put under a microscope.
518
00:31:47,490 --> 00:31:49,951
These... These are still living.
They're still...
519
00:31:50,035 --> 00:31:51,619
Well, they're not...
They don't have a heart,
520
00:31:51,745 --> 00:31:53,371
and they're not...
There's not a beating heart,
521
00:31:53,496 --> 00:31:56,249
but they're cells.
They're trying to...
522
00:31:58,084 --> 00:32:00,170
To form a structure.
523
00:32:00,962 --> 00:32:04,799
But we also have nylon 6.6 particles.
524
00:32:08,345 --> 00:32:11,514
Wow. It looks really different.
525
00:32:12,474 --> 00:32:14,392
There is absolutely nothing here.
526
00:32:15,352 --> 00:32:17,520
So, what is dramatic to me is that...
527
00:32:18,480 --> 00:32:20,899
there are no pretty structures.
There's nothing.
528
00:32:21,149 --> 00:32:23,693
There are no bubbles. They're all gone.
529
00:32:23,777 --> 00:32:28,031
All this gray moss
that you see are nylon particles.
530
00:32:28,114 --> 00:32:32,410
So, the chemical that is
leaching out of nylon 6.6,
531
00:32:32,494 --> 00:32:37,582
it causes this total
lack of growth of mini-lungs.
532
00:32:38,083 --> 00:32:41,878
That's a process that our lungs
are really good at, is like,
533
00:32:41,961 --> 00:32:45,090
when they get hurt,
they repair themselves.
534
00:32:45,799 --> 00:32:48,968
And if you have a lot of these
fibers in your lungs,
535
00:32:49,052 --> 00:32:50,387
you cannot repair.
536
00:32:52,931 --> 00:32:54,683
I'm particularly worried about carpets,
537
00:32:54,766 --> 00:32:57,769
because they cover a big surface, right?
538
00:32:57,852 --> 00:32:59,854
And we walk on them all the time.
539
00:32:59,938 --> 00:33:01,648
So it means that all these fibers
540
00:33:01,731 --> 00:33:04,109
keep being released by it.
541
00:33:04,359 --> 00:33:06,778
Just imagine lying on a carpet,
542
00:33:07,153 --> 00:33:11,408
being close to these fibers
and breathing them in.
543
00:33:11,825 --> 00:33:14,494
Would you consider microplastics
a form of air pollution?
544
00:33:14,577 --> 00:33:17,330
Yes, definitely. They don't degrade.
545
00:33:17,414 --> 00:33:21,084
So, because we keep
on using more and more and more,
546
00:33:21,167 --> 00:33:25,088
and it keeps on
getting into an environment,
547
00:33:25,171 --> 00:33:26,881
it means it's accumulating.
548
00:33:29,134 --> 00:33:32,554
But, in 50 years,
if we keep up this plastic use,
549
00:33:32,637 --> 00:33:34,723
and we don't do anything about it,
550
00:33:34,806 --> 00:33:38,393
we might then
be reaching critical levels.
551
00:33:40,979 --> 00:33:43,606
Plastics made possible
the material world
552
00:33:43,690 --> 00:33:45,275
that we live in now.
553
00:33:46,067 --> 00:33:49,070
They are the bones, the skin,
the connective tissue.
554
00:33:49,696 --> 00:33:52,323
With the arrival of synthetic plastics,
555
00:33:52,407 --> 00:33:55,076
we suddenly were able
to sort of transcend...
556
00:33:56,286 --> 00:34:00,165
what nature has been giving us
for thousands of years.
557
00:34:00,582 --> 00:34:02,542
This compregnated slab is strong enough
558
00:34:02,625 --> 00:34:07,005
to bear the weight of a four-ton
elephant, believe it or not.
559
00:34:09,090 --> 00:34:11,926
And we transcended
that basic problem
560
00:34:12,010 --> 00:34:14,596
that natural resources
have limited supplies.
561
00:34:15,305 --> 00:34:19,893
One of the ones that was a major
cause of concern was ivory.
562
00:34:22,187 --> 00:34:23,521
In this London warehouse
563
00:34:23,605 --> 00:34:26,733
where tusks have been coming in
since the days of Charles II,
564
00:34:27,233 --> 00:34:28,610
the latest consignments are cut up
565
00:34:28,693 --> 00:34:30,904
for the first stage
of their transformation
566
00:34:30,987 --> 00:34:33,573
into ivory-backed brushes,
mirrors, and combs.
567
00:34:34,824 --> 00:34:37,494
Ivory was used for all sorts of things,
568
00:34:38,078 --> 00:34:40,538
for buttons, for decorative items,
569
00:34:41,206 --> 00:34:42,457
piano keys,
570
00:34:43,333 --> 00:34:44,668
and for billiards.
571
00:34:45,794 --> 00:34:48,296
John Wesley Hyatt, an amateur inventor,
572
00:34:48,380 --> 00:34:51,132
came up with this material
he called celluloid.
573
00:34:52,050 --> 00:34:54,052
It was malleable, it was moldable,
574
00:34:54,135 --> 00:34:55,679
it was mass producible.
575
00:34:55,762 --> 00:34:58,890
It kind of leveled
the playing field for consumption.
576
00:35:00,183 --> 00:35:02,560
The next big move was Bakelite,
577
00:35:02,644 --> 00:35:05,480
the first real synthetic molecule,
578
00:35:05,605 --> 00:35:07,691
and it's a great electrical insulator.
579
00:35:10,860 --> 00:35:15,532
It was the early 20th Century,
and all across the country,
580
00:35:15,615 --> 00:35:19,494
people are laying down electrical wire,
and they need insulation for that wire.
581
00:35:20,328 --> 00:35:24,082
And Bakelite becomes
this very successful plastic.
582
00:35:24,457 --> 00:35:28,962
It goes into industrial uses.
It goes into consumer products.
583
00:35:29,546 --> 00:35:32,590
Because it was machinable,
because it was mass-producible,
584
00:35:32,674 --> 00:35:36,636
you could use it to make
all sorts of cool, curvy shapes.
585
00:35:38,221 --> 00:35:40,306
It was a machine-age plastic,
586
00:35:42,058 --> 00:35:43,810
automobile-age plastic.
587
00:35:47,564 --> 00:35:48,940
In the '20s and '30s,
588
00:35:49,024 --> 00:35:51,818
you had the rise
of the petrochemical industry.
589
00:35:51,901 --> 00:35:54,237
Petroleum companies
and chemical companies
590
00:35:54,320 --> 00:35:55,780
were aligning
591
00:35:55,905 --> 00:35:57,532
and wanting to figure out
something to do
592
00:35:57,657 --> 00:36:01,202
with the waste products
of processing of their products.
593
00:36:01,286 --> 00:36:05,749
That became the groundwork
for the modern plastics industry,
594
00:36:06,291 --> 00:36:10,378
and the invention of most of the
big plastics that we know today.
595
00:36:11,338 --> 00:36:15,258
Companies like Dow or Mobil or DuPont
596
00:36:15,342 --> 00:36:18,011
had teams of industrial chemists
597
00:36:18,094 --> 00:36:20,680
who were just noodling
around with chemicals,
598
00:36:20,764 --> 00:36:23,308
trying to figure out
cool stuff that they could do.
599
00:36:25,018 --> 00:36:26,936
Coming up with materials
600
00:36:27,020 --> 00:36:30,940
for which there was no immediate
need or demand.
601
00:36:32,025 --> 00:36:33,276
Except for nylons,
602
00:36:33,360 --> 00:36:35,570
which people had been
looking for, for a long time.
603
00:36:35,653 --> 00:36:38,615
People had wanted a substitute
for silk stockings
604
00:36:38,698 --> 00:36:41,493
because they were expensive,
and they didn't last very long.
605
00:36:42,535 --> 00:36:44,079
It was indeed lucky for us
606
00:36:44,162 --> 00:36:47,624
that the men of plastics
had labored so long and well,
607
00:36:47,707 --> 00:36:50,460
for suddenly we found ourselves at war.
608
00:36:51,586 --> 00:36:52,962
Come World War II,
609
00:36:53,088 --> 00:36:55,715
the military turns
to that nascent industry.
610
00:36:55,799 --> 00:36:57,592
Faced with a critical metal shortage,
611
00:36:57,676 --> 00:37:00,095
and unprecedented
production demands,
612
00:37:00,345 --> 00:37:01,638
armament manufacturers
613
00:37:01,721 --> 00:37:04,349
immediately turned to plastics
for assistance.
614
00:37:04,974 --> 00:37:06,267
And the kingdom of plastics
615
00:37:06,351 --> 00:37:09,312
responded with remarkable
speed and ingenuity.
616
00:37:10,063 --> 00:37:11,690
Now, instead of nylons,
617
00:37:11,773 --> 00:37:15,443
they turn all their production
over to making parachutes.
618
00:37:15,777 --> 00:37:18,613
Acrylic was being used
to make bomb turrets.
619
00:37:19,864 --> 00:37:23,034
So, during the war, plastics production
620
00:37:23,118 --> 00:37:25,829
rose on the order of 3 to 400 percent.
621
00:37:28,456 --> 00:37:31,042
The war ends.
You have an industry that has vastly
622
00:37:31,126 --> 00:37:33,169
ramped up production capacity,
623
00:37:33,253 --> 00:37:35,380
and you have a consuming public
624
00:37:35,505 --> 00:37:37,465
that is suddenly flush with money.
625
00:37:37,549 --> 00:37:40,135
There's a lot of money
being pumped into the economy.
626
00:37:40,218 --> 00:37:42,679
Bring these two trends together,
and one of the results
627
00:37:42,762 --> 00:37:46,141
is you just get this explosion
of plastic stuff.
628
00:37:57,068 --> 00:38:00,613
The first place that plastics
go are into durable goods.
629
00:38:01,322 --> 00:38:04,367
They go into shoes, textiles.
630
00:38:04,451 --> 00:38:07,245
Garments, seen and unseen,
from head to toe,
631
00:38:07,328 --> 00:38:10,707
a synthetic symphony
from DuPont's magic pile of coal.
632
00:38:11,291 --> 00:38:14,961
Suddenly we have fabrics
that don't need to be ironed or washed,
633
00:38:15,086 --> 00:38:17,881
with all these crazy names:
Dacron, Orlon.
634
00:38:18,923 --> 00:38:20,175
Appliances.
635
00:38:21,217 --> 00:38:23,053
They go into things like vinyl records.
636
00:38:24,346 --> 00:38:27,265
They go into Naugahyde furniture, cars.
637
00:38:28,308 --> 00:38:31,186
And then in the late '40s, early '50s,
638
00:38:31,269 --> 00:38:33,313
the plastics industry starts to realize
639
00:38:33,396 --> 00:38:34,981
there's only so many cars
they're going to build.
640
00:38:35,065 --> 00:38:38,276
There's only so many kitchen counters
they're going to put in.
641
00:38:38,360 --> 00:38:40,570
So they start looking for new markets.
642
00:38:40,653 --> 00:38:46,034
And one logical, potentially
infinite growth opportunity,
643
00:38:46,117 --> 00:38:47,911
is in disposables.
644
00:38:48,453 --> 00:38:50,997
It was a very conscious strategy.
645
00:38:51,081 --> 00:38:54,042
The editor of Modern Plastics Magazine
646
00:38:54,167 --> 00:38:55,794
told plastics executives,
647
00:38:55,877 --> 00:38:57,921
"Your future is in the garbage can."
648
00:39:04,678 --> 00:39:07,806
So you get all of this
packaging that's being developed
649
00:39:08,515 --> 00:39:11,726
because the industry is getting
better at processing this stuff,
650
00:39:12,477 --> 00:39:15,647
and getting better
at figuring out how to make it.
651
00:39:18,650 --> 00:39:21,820
And from that point on,
the plastics industry growth
652
00:39:21,903 --> 00:39:24,280
is just a straight upward curve.
653
00:39:24,656 --> 00:39:26,825
It is nonstop ascension.
654
00:39:28,243 --> 00:39:31,705
At a certain point,
you start to get single-use versions
655
00:39:31,788 --> 00:39:34,791
of what had long been durable products.
656
00:39:34,874 --> 00:39:36,376
It was a hard sell at first.
657
00:39:36,501 --> 00:39:40,005
We haven't had the luxury of being able
to throw away a lot of stuff.
658
00:39:40,088 --> 00:39:42,716
When the first coffee
vending machines came out,
659
00:39:42,799 --> 00:39:45,593
people actually tended to reuse
the plastic cups.
660
00:39:45,677 --> 00:39:48,388
So they had to be taught
that there is virtue
661
00:39:48,471 --> 00:39:50,390
and convenience in throwing away.
662
00:39:52,434 --> 00:39:54,936
Life Magazine ran this article,
“Throwaway Living,”
663
00:39:55,020 --> 00:39:58,064
and to illustrate it,
they had this family who have thrown
664
00:39:58,148 --> 00:40:00,984
all of these disposable
things up in the air.
665
00:40:01,067 --> 00:40:04,988
And Life calculated at the time
that if this wasn't throwaway,
666
00:40:05,071 --> 00:40:08,074
that it would've taken the wife,
because of course it was the wife,
667
00:40:08,158 --> 00:40:09,826
40 hours to clean all this stuff,
668
00:40:09,909 --> 00:40:11,953
but, thanks to plastic,
669
00:40:12,037 --> 00:40:14,289
and throwaway stuff,
she didn't have to do it.
670
00:40:16,791 --> 00:40:19,461
What Life ran was the picture
of all the stuff in the air.
671
00:40:19,544 --> 00:40:21,963
You don't see it all raining
down onto the ground
672
00:40:22,047 --> 00:40:24,924
and creating this mess
that is kind of a metaphor
673
00:40:25,008 --> 00:40:27,010
for the mess
that we're dealing with today.
674
00:40:43,151 --> 00:40:47,322
Well, I come from four
generations of fisher-people.
675
00:40:48,114 --> 00:40:51,034
My great-grandfather, my grandfather,
676
00:40:51,117 --> 00:40:53,787
my dad, my brothers.
677
00:40:55,413 --> 00:41:00,877
And your whole life
is centered around the boats,
678
00:41:00,960 --> 00:41:03,505
and the fish houses, and the water.
679
00:41:08,093 --> 00:41:13,014
I have a strong connection to the water.
680
00:41:13,723 --> 00:41:15,892
Water is alive.
681
00:41:15,975 --> 00:41:19,688
It's real. And it's like family.
682
00:41:24,234 --> 00:41:29,280
The chemical plants
started coming in around late 1940s,
683
00:41:30,156 --> 00:41:35,578
and now there are
ten chemical plants, nylon plants,
684
00:41:35,662 --> 00:41:37,497
fertilizer plants,
685
00:41:37,580 --> 00:41:42,168
and they all dump, on the average,
686
00:41:42,252 --> 00:41:46,089
five million gallons
of toxic waste a day.
687
00:41:47,340 --> 00:41:53,930
Formosa Plastics manufactures
plastic pellets and powder.
688
00:41:55,223 --> 00:41:57,726
And for 27 years,
689
00:41:57,809 --> 00:42:03,523
Formosa has discharged
right into this body of water.
690
00:42:09,154 --> 00:42:12,115
Corporations do not have a conscience.
691
00:42:14,451 --> 00:42:18,747
Their bottom line is production.
Production at all costs.
692
00:42:20,665 --> 00:42:24,711
Formosa never reported
a single violation.
693
00:42:27,589 --> 00:42:30,050
These are production plastics.
694
00:42:30,133 --> 00:42:35,638
They're probably polyethylene,
polypropylene pellets.
695
00:42:37,932 --> 00:42:40,185
So, this is what has been out here,
696
00:42:40,268 --> 00:42:44,898
and is embedded up on this bank.
The fish, they're in their guts.
697
00:42:45,774 --> 00:42:48,526
The oystermen,
when they're shucking oysters,
698
00:42:48,610 --> 00:42:51,488
they find them inside the oyster shell.
699
00:42:52,781 --> 00:42:54,908
Every bit of this is illegal.
700
00:42:55,950 --> 00:42:59,996
And that started in 1989.
701
00:43:01,498 --> 00:43:04,417
I was 40 years old.
I was running a fish house.
702
00:43:05,335 --> 00:43:09,255
Formosa, they had managed
to start discharging
703
00:43:09,339 --> 00:43:12,467
without a permit.
And up in the bay,
704
00:43:12,550 --> 00:43:16,346
there was some sort of mutation
going on with black drum.
705
00:43:16,971 --> 00:43:20,517
The whole side of the drum
was rotting out,
706
00:43:20,600 --> 00:43:22,644
and their intestines were showing it.
707
00:43:23,770 --> 00:43:27,607
When you're at the fish house,
and you have fishermen who come
708
00:43:27,691 --> 00:43:30,110
and want to get ice, and they said,
709
00:43:30,193 --> 00:43:33,780
"The alligators are rolling.
They're at the surface,
710
00:43:33,863 --> 00:43:36,700
and they're just rolling in the water."
711
00:43:36,783 --> 00:43:40,286
And then you have shrimpers
who bring you shrimp,
712
00:43:40,370 --> 00:43:42,747
and it looks like they've
been stuffed with cotton.
713
00:43:43,373 --> 00:43:48,253
And then you start to see
where they can't even go out
714
00:43:48,336 --> 00:43:50,046
and make a living anymore.
715
00:43:51,006 --> 00:43:52,882
So, all their boats are tied up,
716
00:43:53,633 --> 00:43:56,094
and then the fish houses,
they shut down.
717
00:43:57,303 --> 00:43:59,681
They destroyed the community here.
718
00:43:59,764 --> 00:44:01,891
The community is no longer.
719
00:44:03,518 --> 00:44:05,687
You talk to any shrimper and it's like,
720
00:44:05,770 --> 00:44:07,731
"My kid is not going to do this."
721
00:44:09,941 --> 00:44:15,113
And all you have are
closed areas or shut down bays.
722
00:44:15,196 --> 00:44:18,491
"Don't eat the crabs, don't eat
the shrimp, don't eat the fish."
723
00:44:20,660 --> 00:44:25,206
I work for the end of plastic,
the age of plastic.
724
00:44:25,290 --> 00:44:26,708
That's what I work for.
725
00:44:28,710 --> 00:44:31,588
We came out here every day
726
00:44:31,671 --> 00:44:33,340
for two-and-a-half years,
727
00:44:33,465 --> 00:44:37,177
and we got 2,500 samples
728
00:44:37,260 --> 00:44:39,471
of illegal discharges,
729
00:44:40,055 --> 00:44:41,639
and we took them to court.
730
00:44:42,349 --> 00:44:46,353
We eventually settled
for 50 million dollars,
731
00:44:46,436 --> 00:44:48,980
and we put it into
732
00:44:49,064 --> 00:44:51,775
every environmental project
in this community.
733
00:44:51,858 --> 00:44:55,820
We put every penny back
into the community to help them.
734
00:45:00,200 --> 00:45:04,079
Some people have cynically
referred to this as Cancer Alley,
735
00:45:04,746 --> 00:45:07,040
the greatest concentration
of chemical plants
736
00:45:07,165 --> 00:45:08,875
in the Western Hemisphere.
737
00:45:08,917 --> 00:45:11,753
It also has the greatest
concentration of cancer deaths
738
00:45:11,836 --> 00:45:13,254
in the nation.
739
00:45:13,338 --> 00:45:16,132
And obviously the question
of an association
740
00:45:16,675 --> 00:45:18,301
has naturally been raised.
741
00:45:20,887 --> 00:45:22,597
This is polyvinyl chloride,
742
00:45:22,681 --> 00:45:25,058
a synthetic resinous material
743
00:45:25,141 --> 00:45:27,519
converted from vinyl chloride gas,
744
00:45:28,812 --> 00:45:32,315
and it's the basis for thousands
of plastic products,
745
00:45:32,399 --> 00:45:35,276
from food wrappers,
to phonograph records.
746
00:45:35,360 --> 00:45:38,780
During the manufacturing process,
when the gas is being synthesized
747
00:45:38,863 --> 00:45:43,493
and the resin is being formed,
exposure can present a serious risk.
748
00:45:45,620 --> 00:45:48,164
Back in '81 you were doing the...
749
00:45:48,248 --> 00:45:52,043
I was doing maintenance work,
building the plant.
750
00:45:53,753 --> 00:45:56,631
Dale started
when the plant first started,
751
00:45:56,715 --> 00:45:58,800
back in 1981.
752
00:46:00,051 --> 00:46:03,638
And so, he was exposed since day one.
753
00:46:05,557 --> 00:46:07,809
And that was vinyl chloride,
and all that EDC...
754
00:46:07,892 --> 00:46:10,353
Vinyl chloride, ethylene chloride.
755
00:46:11,021 --> 00:46:15,859
I started getting boils on my neck...
756
00:46:16,693 --> 00:46:19,112
From here... You know, from here down.
757
00:46:19,863 --> 00:46:21,906
I couldn't feel the bottom of my feet.
758
00:46:23,074 --> 00:46:27,495
I would grab my leg
so hard that I left bruises on myself.
759
00:46:28,705 --> 00:46:30,415
I mean, it just...
760
00:46:30,498 --> 00:46:32,125
I'd scream with pain,
761
00:46:32,834 --> 00:46:36,129
and at one point,
I lost my legs completely,
762
00:46:36,796 --> 00:46:40,175
and I drug myself around with my elbows
763
00:46:40,258 --> 00:46:42,260
probably for about a month,
month and a half.
764
00:46:42,344 --> 00:46:43,595
Yeah.
765
00:46:43,678 --> 00:46:46,431
After they did all the testing,
766
00:46:47,432 --> 00:46:51,019
the doctor came out,
and she started naming off chemicals.
767
00:46:52,771 --> 00:46:56,191
And she said, "Do you know
these chemicals, Dale?"
768
00:46:56,316 --> 00:46:57,567
I said, "Yeah."
769
00:46:57,650 --> 00:47:00,362
I said, "I recognize every one
of them that you're speaking of.”
770
00:47:00,445 --> 00:47:02,364
There were five of them.
771
00:47:02,489 --> 00:47:04,741
And she said,
"Well, they're in your body."
772
00:47:05,700 --> 00:47:06,951
And I asked the doctor, I said,
773
00:47:07,077 --> 00:47:10,413
"How come I can't remember
my child growing up?”
774
00:47:11,456 --> 00:47:13,750
You know, I've lost it.
775
00:47:14,501 --> 00:47:15,752
And...
776
00:47:16,670 --> 00:47:18,254
She said, "Well, apparently,
777
00:47:18,380 --> 00:47:21,341
that's when you got hit
with high doses of benzene."
778
00:47:22,092 --> 00:47:23,885
That's what the doctor told me.
779
00:47:25,887 --> 00:47:29,432
What Formosa did to me is unspeakable.
780
00:47:29,516 --> 00:47:30,934
It's...
781
00:47:34,020 --> 00:47:37,607
They made my life a living hell
for me and my family.
782
00:47:39,067 --> 00:47:41,986
When you're on disability,
you don't make money.
783
00:47:43,863 --> 00:47:47,867
And health-wise,
you don't mean anything.
784
00:47:47,951 --> 00:47:50,453
They hire young people
785
00:47:50,537 --> 00:47:51,955
that don't know any better.
786
00:47:53,456 --> 00:47:55,333
Very little education.
787
00:47:56,167 --> 00:47:58,670
And then when they run
into major problems,
788
00:47:58,753 --> 00:48:00,880
everybody scrambles, you know.
789
00:48:12,058 --> 00:48:13,309
Hello!
790
00:48:13,393 --> 00:48:15,854
- Do you want to just take some for us?
- For sure.
791
00:48:15,937 --> 00:48:17,731
- Cardigan off.
- Okay.
792
00:48:17,814 --> 00:48:20,817
- Okay. So you're here to take my blood?
- Yeah.
793
00:48:20,900 --> 00:48:22,819
I'm not a fainter,
so you don't need to worry.
794
00:48:22,902 --> 00:48:24,404
Good. Good to know.
795
00:48:24,696 --> 00:48:26,156
We're taking a smaller sample
796
00:48:26,239 --> 00:48:28,408
than you'd normally give
at a blood donation,
797
00:48:28,491 --> 00:48:30,452
and then,
that will allow us to have a look,
798
00:48:30,535 --> 00:48:34,080
and see what actually
is in your blood sample
799
00:48:34,205 --> 00:48:38,376
in terms of particles, shapes,
sizes, that kind of thing.
800
00:48:38,460 --> 00:48:39,878
Can I get the right angle?
801
00:48:41,129 --> 00:48:42,672
Are you okay just holding
the green bit for me?
802
00:48:42,756 --> 00:48:45,216
- Sure.
- Just so that doesn't move. Thank you.
803
00:48:47,886 --> 00:48:50,638
We have 20 healthy donors.
804
00:48:50,722 --> 00:48:52,766
It is a blind study.
805
00:48:52,849 --> 00:48:56,561
We have completed nearly
all of the 20 donors.
806
00:48:58,855 --> 00:49:01,941
So, the next step is, it will
undergo an enzyme digest,
807
00:49:02,025 --> 00:49:04,486
so it's breaking down a lot
of the biological material
808
00:49:04,569 --> 00:49:07,322
that you would find in there.
Then they go on, actually,
809
00:49:07,405 --> 00:49:10,116
for a very long incubation
at temperature
810
00:49:10,200 --> 00:49:12,535
to help further reduce
any of the material
811
00:49:12,619 --> 00:49:14,245
in there that's not plastic.
812
00:49:14,329 --> 00:49:16,790
And then once that's complete,
we can filter it,
813
00:49:16,873 --> 00:49:18,500
and then we can see
what's actually in there
814
00:49:18,625 --> 00:49:19,876
that's remaining.
815
00:49:21,336 --> 00:49:25,715
We're then able to place it
in this spectroscopy equipment,
816
00:49:25,799 --> 00:49:28,385
and there's a laser that's
going to go through the sample,
817
00:49:28,468 --> 00:49:30,387
and a spectra produced.
818
00:49:30,470 --> 00:49:33,431
And Cat here has a sample of blood
819
00:49:33,515 --> 00:49:36,434
from one of the healthy donors
that we have.
820
00:49:37,519 --> 00:49:40,021
This entire white object,
821
00:49:40,105 --> 00:49:42,065
that's the nylon,
that's the microplastic.
822
00:49:42,148 --> 00:49:46,695
So that is nylon
in human blood, most likely from,
823
00:49:46,778 --> 00:49:49,280
I'm guessing, clothes or carpet
or something like that...?
824
00:49:49,364 --> 00:49:51,408
Textiles of some kind, probably.
825
00:49:51,741 --> 00:49:54,327
So, what kind of polymers
are you seeing right now?
826
00:49:54,869 --> 00:49:58,331
The nylon that
we've seen today, polystyrene,
827
00:49:59,124 --> 00:50:01,084
polyethylene,
828
00:50:01,251 --> 00:50:02,627
- polypropylene,
- Yeah.
829
00:50:02,711 --> 00:50:04,796
polyethylene terephthalate,
830
00:50:05,213 --> 00:50:07,215
and then, quite a lot
of additives as well.
831
00:50:07,298 --> 00:50:11,845
So we have been finding some
chemicals such as phthalates.
832
00:50:11,928 --> 00:50:14,889
This entire thing here,
all of this brown,
833
00:50:14,973 --> 00:50:16,224
- Okay.
- is the phthalate.
834
00:50:16,307 --> 00:50:18,309
So for example, the non-stick
835
00:50:18,393 --> 00:50:21,938
- that's added to your frying pans.
- You found that as well?
836
00:50:22,022 --> 00:50:26,735
Yeah, PTFE, the forever chemical. PFAS.
837
00:50:27,777 --> 00:50:30,155
And so, what are you finding on average?
838
00:50:30,447 --> 00:50:32,866
In every sample, we found microplastics.
839
00:50:32,949 --> 00:50:35,827
- Every...
- It ranges from maybe one or two, to...
840
00:50:35,910 --> 00:50:39,539
like, 11, 12, 13.
So, that's quite a lot.
841
00:50:39,664 --> 00:50:41,750
11 microplastics
in a quarter of the sample,
842
00:50:41,833 --> 00:50:44,002
and you're only taking 10 milliliters.
843
00:50:44,085 --> 00:50:47,088
That's a lot.
That's a pretty big plastic burden.
844
00:50:48,465 --> 00:50:50,884
I guess it's inevitable these days.
845
00:50:53,011 --> 00:50:56,181
Microplastics as a contaminant type
846
00:50:56,264 --> 00:50:59,309
are very different
to other types of contaminants.
847
00:50:59,392 --> 00:51:03,521
There's not just the physical
side of their presence,
848
00:51:03,605 --> 00:51:06,358
which is one issue,
and there's potential
849
00:51:06,441 --> 00:51:09,027
to trigger
inflammation-type responses.
850
00:51:09,110 --> 00:51:14,032
There's also the chemical
and the leachate issue, as well.
851
00:51:18,328 --> 00:51:21,706
Both the plastics and the
additives can be genotoxic,
852
00:51:21,790 --> 00:51:24,000
so, for example,
they can change the DNA.
853
00:51:24,125 --> 00:51:27,879
They can be epigenetic,
causing higher vulnerability
854
00:51:27,962 --> 00:51:30,090
to cancer development later in life
855
00:51:30,215 --> 00:51:32,384
or even the next generation.
856
00:51:33,134 --> 00:51:36,680
But in general,
the particle toxicity can...
857
00:51:36,763 --> 00:51:41,059
Causes inflammatory...
Low-grade inflammatory responses.
858
00:51:41,142 --> 00:51:42,977
In fact, we know
that chronic inflammation
859
00:51:43,061 --> 00:51:44,646
is one of the biggest killers,
860
00:51:45,480 --> 00:51:48,817
because it's a prelude
to other...
861
00:51:48,900 --> 00:51:51,861
No, to many...
To many chronic diseases.
862
00:51:53,029 --> 00:51:56,449
It's worrying. It's alarming,
because if it's in the blood,
863
00:51:56,533 --> 00:51:58,326
that means it can be transported
864
00:51:58,410 --> 00:52:00,453
to any other organ or tissue.
865
00:52:01,204 --> 00:52:03,206
From your bone marrow, to your brain.
866
00:52:05,375 --> 00:52:08,378
You would think that as we know this,
that we would start...
867
00:52:08,461 --> 00:52:10,422
making less plastic, but no.
868
00:52:12,674 --> 00:52:15,218
Plastic's production continues to rise.
869
00:52:16,636 --> 00:52:19,472
Part of that is the advent of fracking.
870
00:52:19,556 --> 00:52:21,558
This technology
that has suddenly released
871
00:52:21,641 --> 00:52:23,685
all of this natural gas.
872
00:52:24,394 --> 00:52:26,104
There's an oversupply,
873
00:52:26,187 --> 00:52:29,649
and that incentivizes
making more plastic.
874
00:52:47,083 --> 00:52:50,503
That is an ethane...
It's a steam cracker plant for taking
875
00:52:50,587 --> 00:52:53,423
natural gas feedstock,
and turning it into plastic pellets
876
00:52:54,174 --> 00:52:57,010
that they ship overseas
to make plastic.
877
00:52:59,554 --> 00:53:02,307
I think they fired up in 2022,
878
00:53:02,390 --> 00:53:06,269
and it's the biggest one
in the world as of right now.
879
00:53:08,313 --> 00:53:10,940
It's ExxonMobil,
and a company called SABIC,
880
00:53:11,024 --> 00:53:13,651
which is a Saudi-owned company.
881
00:53:19,991 --> 00:53:23,787
It's a mile from our high school.
It's a half mile from my house.
882
00:53:26,581 --> 00:53:29,250
Three nights ago, it shook
so bad that you'd feel it in the house,
883
00:53:29,334 --> 00:53:31,795
and pictures on the wall were vibrating.
884
00:53:33,838 --> 00:53:37,175
At certain times of the night
when they're in full production,
885
00:53:37,258 --> 00:53:39,344
you can come out here
and read the newspaper.
886
00:53:41,680 --> 00:53:43,890
They've got ground flares.
887
00:53:43,973 --> 00:53:46,059
Those just roar like crazy.
888
00:53:46,142 --> 00:53:50,146
It's phenomenal as a lay person
to read what their...
889
00:53:50,230 --> 00:53:52,315
What their permitting was,
890
00:53:52,399 --> 00:53:56,403
the tons,
thousands of tons of pollution
891
00:53:56,486 --> 00:53:59,114
that they're going to let
into the air every year.
892
00:53:59,197 --> 00:54:01,866
Cancer is a real deal,
and a lot of these things
893
00:54:01,991 --> 00:54:05,036
that they're releasing
are known carcinogens.
894
00:54:05,995 --> 00:54:09,791
One of the products that they release
in small amounts, is benzene.
895
00:54:09,916 --> 00:54:11,084
The World Health Organization
896
00:54:11,209 --> 00:54:15,088
determined the safe level
of benzene is zero.
897
00:54:16,506 --> 00:54:19,259
I have grandchildren,
my grandson has asthma.
898
00:54:19,342 --> 00:54:21,302
“Show us how good a neighbor
you're going to be.
899
00:54:21,594 --> 00:54:25,265
Put some fence-line monitoring."
"No, no, we're not required to do that."
900
00:54:26,391 --> 00:54:28,768
So, we put an air monitor
in our backyard.
901
00:54:28,852 --> 00:54:31,771
Of course, it's got a solar panel
that keeps a battery in here charged.
902
00:54:32,188 --> 00:54:33,565
There are some sensors
in the bottom here
903
00:54:33,648 --> 00:54:35,191
that pick up the fine
particulate matter.
904
00:54:35,275 --> 00:54:37,527
We have to have some arrows
in our quiver,
905
00:54:37,610 --> 00:54:40,572
because otherwise, you...
You can't just say,
906
00:54:40,697 --> 00:54:42,407
"Well, I smelled something,"
and they'll be,
907
00:54:42,490 --> 00:54:44,659
"Well, what did you smell?"
"Well, I don't know."
908
00:54:44,743 --> 00:54:47,662
So, this at least analyzes it,
and holds their feet
909
00:54:47,746 --> 00:54:50,582
to the fire at some level.
910
00:54:56,171 --> 00:54:58,089
I love capitalism,
911
00:54:58,173 --> 00:55:00,425
because obviously,
we all have to have money.
912
00:55:01,259 --> 00:55:03,303
But I think there should be a balance.
913
00:55:05,555 --> 00:55:08,975
People say, "Well, it's growth.
It's growth, it's growth."
914
00:55:10,268 --> 00:55:12,520
Growth is not always a good thing.
915
00:55:13,355 --> 00:55:16,316
There's a lot of things
that grow that aren't good.
916
00:55:16,399 --> 00:55:18,943
You know, mildew, cancer tumors.
917
00:55:19,652 --> 00:55:21,196
I use plastic.
918
00:55:21,279 --> 00:55:23,281
You can't help but use plastic,
919
00:55:24,074 --> 00:55:26,785
but do we really need more?
920
00:55:46,388 --> 00:55:49,724
Trash is not a pretty subject,
so most of us prefer
921
00:55:49,808 --> 00:55:52,185
not to look at it or even think about it
922
00:55:52,268 --> 00:55:55,063
after we've produced
our individual share.
923
00:55:55,522 --> 00:55:57,482
Ask most people how to get rid of it,
924
00:55:57,565 --> 00:56:00,110
and they'll have an easy answer.
Throw it away.
925
00:56:01,986 --> 00:56:03,613
In the '70s,
926
00:56:03,697 --> 00:56:06,449
there starts to be a concern
that landfills are filling up,
927
00:56:06,574 --> 00:56:09,536
and that plastic
is a significant contributor
928
00:56:09,619 --> 00:56:10,912
to that problem.
929
00:56:10,995 --> 00:56:12,706
There's also growing awareness
930
00:56:12,789 --> 00:56:15,166
that plastic is getting out
into the environment.
931
00:56:16,710 --> 00:56:19,671
One material
we can't do much with is plastic.
932
00:56:19,796 --> 00:56:21,506
It doesn't recycle easily.
933
00:56:21,589 --> 00:56:25,427
In landfill, plastic bottles
remain intact for decades,
934
00:56:25,510 --> 00:56:27,804
contributing unwanted bulk
to the layers
935
00:56:27,887 --> 00:56:29,848
of the Earth garbage sandwich.
936
00:56:29,931 --> 00:56:33,018
Plastic litter is a deadly
insult to the landscape,
937
00:56:33,101 --> 00:56:34,853
since it does not disintegrate.
938
00:56:34,936 --> 00:56:38,189
And so, legislators
are introducing bills
939
00:56:38,273 --> 00:56:41,484
to try to ban certain kinds
of plastic packaging
940
00:56:41,568 --> 00:56:45,697
like the Styrofoam clamshells
that used to be used for fast food.
941
00:56:45,780 --> 00:56:50,368
And in response, the plastic industry
starts pushing the idea of recycling.
942
00:56:50,702 --> 00:56:52,454
They're just one of several companies
943
00:56:52,537 --> 00:56:55,206
joining America's recycling craze.
944
00:56:55,331 --> 00:56:57,500
Some, it seems, to improve their image.
945
00:56:58,043 --> 00:57:00,253
They also helped create the famous
946
00:57:00,337 --> 00:57:02,839
“chasing arrows”
logo that you will now see
947
00:57:02,922 --> 00:57:05,550
on the bottom of all sorts
of plastic packaging
948
00:57:05,633 --> 00:57:09,804
that identifies it as one
of seven types of plastic.
949
00:57:09,888 --> 00:57:13,683
And that leads people to believe
that this thing is recyclable.
950
00:57:13,767 --> 00:57:16,436
Although, in fact, most plastic is not.
951
00:57:16,519 --> 00:57:19,481
You know, less than 10 percent
of plastic worldwide
952
00:57:19,564 --> 00:57:20,857
ever gets recycled.
953
00:57:21,358 --> 00:57:23,276
Most of it either ends up in landfill
954
00:57:23,360 --> 00:57:25,236
or it ends up out in the environment.
955
00:57:27,572 --> 00:57:31,785
The plastics industry
used communication tools
956
00:57:31,868 --> 00:57:33,870
to make us think it worked.
957
00:57:33,953 --> 00:57:36,247
They were brainwashing us into thinking
958
00:57:36,331 --> 00:57:39,751
that recycling was sufficient,
and they knew it.
959
00:57:40,960 --> 00:57:42,921
They knew it wasn't enough to work.
960
00:57:45,090 --> 00:57:47,759
The costs of the types of solutions
961
00:57:47,842 --> 00:57:51,888
that they're proposing
are too expensive to do at scale.
962
00:57:53,181 --> 00:57:54,516
There's too much plastic.
963
00:57:55,392 --> 00:57:59,813
It is predicated on constant growth.
964
00:58:00,522 --> 00:58:04,442
It is endlessly adaptable.
Whatever our current needs are,
965
00:58:04,526 --> 00:58:07,737
you will find
a plastic solution to that.
966
00:58:11,408 --> 00:58:14,494
Plastic is like
the embodiment of capitalism.
967
00:58:14,577 --> 00:58:16,621
Remember The Graduate.
"Plastic."
968
00:58:19,916 --> 00:58:22,377
I just want to say one word to you.
969
00:58:22,460 --> 00:58:24,504
Just one word.
970
00:58:25,964 --> 00:58:27,215
Yes, sir.
971
00:58:27,298 --> 00:58:29,509
- Are you listening?
- Yes, sir, I am.
972
00:58:29,592 --> 00:58:30,927
Plastics.
973
00:58:34,222 --> 00:58:35,890
Exactly how do you mean?
974
00:58:35,974 --> 00:58:37,851
There's a great future in plastics.
975
00:58:38,518 --> 00:58:41,688
Plastic changed a lot
of the ways that we live.
976
00:58:42,564 --> 00:58:45,608
It has enabled all sorts
of fast industries.
977
00:58:45,692 --> 00:58:47,068
Fast food,
978
00:58:47,569 --> 00:58:49,279
fast building,
979
00:58:50,030 --> 00:58:51,281
fast fashion.
980
00:58:52,198 --> 00:58:54,576
It gets widely used
because it's cheap.
981
00:58:55,410 --> 00:59:00,206
It's allowed a kind of material
abundance, health, cleanliness
982
00:59:00,290 --> 00:59:01,958
that is unprecedented.
983
00:59:05,837 --> 00:59:09,507
But it also is a sort of proxy
984
00:59:09,591 --> 00:59:13,136
for what is the worst aspects
of a capitalist system,
985
00:59:13,219 --> 00:59:16,514
where you can buy, and consume,
and have no regard
986
00:59:16,598 --> 00:59:19,267
for the consequences
of what you're buying.
987
00:59:19,351 --> 00:59:21,061
You can discard something,
988
00:59:21,144 --> 00:59:24,689
and not think about
the consequences of where it goes.
989
00:59:24,773 --> 00:59:28,985
If it ends up at a waste dump
with people picking through,
990
00:59:29,069 --> 00:59:31,613
trying to sort out usable bits.
991
00:59:31,696 --> 00:59:33,615
We don't have to think about that.
992
00:59:47,962 --> 00:59:52,717
This community is one of the
low income communities in Manila City,
993
00:59:54,260 --> 00:59:56,054
and there are lots of plastics
994
00:59:56,513 --> 00:59:58,765
because that's the only thing
that people can buy.
995
01:00:00,809 --> 01:00:03,520
- Hello.
- Hello.
996
01:00:03,603 --> 01:00:05,021
Every little thing.
997
01:00:05,105 --> 01:00:07,524
So everything here comes
in little packages, right?
998
01:00:07,607 --> 01:00:11,611
Yes. They need to break it down
in small amounts
999
01:00:11,695 --> 01:00:15,907
because that's the amount that people
can actually buy. And with the...
1000
01:00:15,990 --> 01:00:18,535
- Because it's cheaper, right?
- It's cheaper, yes.
1001
01:00:18,618 --> 01:00:21,287
If it's in small amount.
So you'll see here,
1002
01:00:21,371 --> 01:00:24,666
usually you can buy this one
in large, in bulk,
1003
01:00:24,749 --> 01:00:27,669
but then they would have
to put it in small packets.
1004
01:00:30,171 --> 01:00:34,592
And it's always sad whenever
people just put it like,
1005
01:00:34,676 --> 01:00:36,594
“It's the consumer's fault.”
1006
01:00:36,720 --> 01:00:38,972
Where, in fact,
they're just actually victims
1007
01:00:39,055 --> 01:00:41,349
of what is happening
at the global scale,
1008
01:00:41,433 --> 01:00:43,018
at the national scale.
1009
01:00:44,686 --> 01:00:47,397
It's a very difficult situation
for the country
1010
01:00:47,480 --> 01:00:49,190
because we don't have the capacity
1011
01:00:49,274 --> 01:00:51,526
and we have limited
recycling facilities.
1012
01:00:52,444 --> 01:00:53,987
We can't even manage the waste
1013
01:00:54,070 --> 01:00:56,448
that we're already
generating in the country,
1014
01:00:56,531 --> 01:00:58,867
so we can't really accommodate waste
1015
01:00:58,992 --> 01:01:00,535
coming from other countries.
1016
01:01:14,090 --> 01:01:16,468
Even if Palawan is a perfect paradise
1017
01:01:16,551 --> 01:01:19,512
compared to more populated
cities like Manila,
1018
01:01:19,596 --> 01:01:22,807
there are areas where
plastics would be everywhere.
1019
01:01:23,725 --> 01:01:26,227
What kind of plastics
are you finding in this area?
1020
01:01:26,311 --> 01:01:28,605
They're usually the single-use plastics,
1021
01:01:28,688 --> 01:01:31,733
the ones that are easy to use
and then just throw away after.
1022
01:01:31,816 --> 01:01:33,860
- And then they break down in the sun.
- Yes.
1023
01:01:33,943 --> 01:01:36,446
And that's why we're trying to
look at, how much plastics
1024
01:01:36,529 --> 01:01:38,490
are in here on the water's surface.
1025
01:01:42,285 --> 01:01:45,246
- And let's see what we got from the net.
- Okay.
1026
01:01:46,414 --> 01:01:49,125
Well, I've never gone fishing
for microplastics.
1027
01:01:49,167 --> 01:01:51,378
- Okay. I've got this.
- I'm going to get a glass jar.
1028
01:01:53,755 --> 01:01:55,215
- There you go.
- Okay.
1029
01:01:55,298 --> 01:01:57,509
What we do with the water sample is,
we send it to a lab.
1030
01:01:57,592 --> 01:01:58,843
- Okay.
- And then,
1031
01:01:58,927 --> 01:02:00,845
we try to identify what types of plastic
1032
01:02:00,929 --> 01:02:02,430
or if they are really plastics,
1033
01:02:02,514 --> 01:02:05,100
but based on their characteristics,
1034
01:02:05,183 --> 01:02:07,477
they're floating, they're translucent.
1035
01:02:08,144 --> 01:02:11,272
Visually,
those are what you expect to see
1036
01:02:11,356 --> 01:02:14,609
if microplastics get
concentrated in this net.
1037
01:02:14,693 --> 01:02:16,695
- That's so brutal.
- Yeah. These are the ones that
1038
01:02:16,778 --> 01:02:18,154
the fish eat, too.
1039
01:02:18,863 --> 01:02:22,325
These are mussels that we bought
from the local market site.
1040
01:02:25,787 --> 01:02:27,205
There's plastic.
1041
01:02:28,498 --> 01:02:32,502
It looks like a shedding
of polyethylene bag.
1042
01:02:33,378 --> 01:02:36,381
When you digest
the tissue of this mussel,
1043
01:02:36,464 --> 01:02:40,427
you see microplastics float out,
and you see the blue fragment there?
1044
01:02:40,510 --> 01:02:42,095
- My goodness.
- That's plastic.
1045
01:02:42,178 --> 01:02:45,890
So the average mussel
contains how much microplastic?
1046
01:02:45,974 --> 01:02:48,059
Roughly about one to three pieces,
1047
01:02:48,143 --> 01:02:49,978
particles of microplastics.
1048
01:02:50,145 --> 01:02:52,772
And we've been seeing that
1049
01:02:52,856 --> 01:02:56,192
shellfish that ingest microplastics,
1050
01:02:56,276 --> 01:03:00,280
they have reduced growth rates,
so they don't grow big,
1051
01:03:00,363 --> 01:03:04,993
and then, they also don't settle
that nicely in the settlement areas.
1052
01:03:08,246 --> 01:03:09,748
There's only one health.
1053
01:03:10,957 --> 01:03:12,876
There's only one health.
1054
01:03:13,001 --> 01:03:15,837
It's not only the health of us, people,
1055
01:03:15,920 --> 01:03:18,757
the health of the animals,
of the environment, the plants.
1056
01:03:19,132 --> 01:03:22,010
And that means
that if one of these components
1057
01:03:22,093 --> 01:03:23,845
is affected by microplastics,
1058
01:03:23,928 --> 01:03:26,139
like in this case, the ocean,
1059
01:03:27,140 --> 01:03:30,352
it has also an effect
on the health of humans.
1060
01:03:42,155 --> 01:03:46,659
Today, we will remove the anterior part
1061
01:03:46,743 --> 01:03:51,247
of the frontal lobe,
including the tumor.
1062
01:03:51,331 --> 01:03:54,501
That's the only way to increase
the survival rate.
1063
01:04:02,133 --> 01:04:03,718
So...
1064
01:04:05,637 --> 01:04:08,306
Here is a lesion,
1065
01:04:08,390 --> 01:04:12,936
and these parts are the brain tissue,
1066
01:04:13,687 --> 01:04:17,732
which still has
a normal blood-brain barrier.
1067
01:04:19,192 --> 01:04:24,781
The blood-brain barrier
is a kind of evolutionary barrier,
1068
01:04:25,365 --> 01:04:30,120
which is protecting the brain
and our neurons
1069
01:04:30,203 --> 01:04:32,414
from any kind of substance,
1070
01:04:32,497 --> 01:04:34,249
which is already in the blood
1071
01:04:34,916 --> 01:04:37,836
because neurons
should work under very...
1072
01:04:38,003 --> 01:04:39,337
ideal conditions.
1073
01:04:39,421 --> 01:04:41,506
If those conditions are disrupted,
1074
01:04:41,589 --> 01:04:44,926
then basically the neurons stop working.
1075
01:04:50,306 --> 01:04:53,893
If we find microplastics in the brain,
1076
01:04:53,977 --> 01:04:56,521
then there are a lot of other questions.
1077
01:04:57,230 --> 01:04:59,691
Does the microplastic cause
the neuroinflammation?
1078
01:05:00,817 --> 01:05:05,280
Does the microplastic cause
any effect on the neurons,
1079
01:05:05,363 --> 01:05:09,409
which disrupts
their working capabilities?
1080
01:05:11,161 --> 01:05:14,789
If microplastics
are accumulating in the brain tissue,
1081
01:05:14,873 --> 01:05:17,625
at some point they should cause
some kind of
1082
01:05:17,709 --> 01:05:19,586
neurodegenerative disease
1083
01:05:19,669 --> 01:05:23,298
like Alzheimer's or dementia.
1084
01:05:26,718 --> 01:05:29,429
We already have a couple of samples
from last week.
1085
01:05:30,388 --> 01:05:32,682
We will get those samples to Sedat.
1086
01:05:42,525 --> 01:05:45,153
- Hi, Ziya. How are you?
- At long last.
1087
01:05:46,196 --> 01:05:49,074
- Good to finally meet you.
- Yeah, yeah. Good to see you.
1088
01:05:49,908 --> 01:05:53,411
So, if you find
microplastics in the brain,
1089
01:05:53,536 --> 01:05:54,954
are you going to be scared?
1090
01:05:55,705 --> 01:05:57,332
Yes. Because...
1091
01:05:57,415 --> 01:06:01,920
if microplastics can
transfer from blood to brain,
1092
01:06:02,045 --> 01:06:05,382
it means it can transfer
from everywhere to everywhere.
1093
01:06:05,465 --> 01:06:08,134
So there is no barrier.
There is no limitation for plastic.
1094
01:06:08,218 --> 01:06:10,470
Is there the potential
of it staying in the brain?
1095
01:06:10,553 --> 01:06:14,099
Yeah. There is no other way, you know.
It will accumulate there,
1096
01:06:14,182 --> 01:06:18,144
because it is the endpoint
of the human body.
1097
01:06:18,228 --> 01:06:20,313
There is no other place to go.
1098
01:06:20,855 --> 01:06:23,983
The brain is kind of
a pure environment, you know.
1099
01:06:24,067 --> 01:06:26,653
The plastics are not native
for the brain.
1100
01:06:26,736 --> 01:06:28,405
So, it will definitely...
1101
01:06:30,448 --> 01:06:32,409
make some change in the brain.
1102
01:06:32,492 --> 01:06:34,786
We lost our connection with nature.
1103
01:06:34,869 --> 01:06:38,456
So we are living in a synthetic world,
1104
01:06:39,207 --> 01:06:43,586
made from... Mostly made
from plastic, made from oil and gas.
1105
01:06:43,920 --> 01:06:47,132
The current situation
with those amounts of plastic
1106
01:06:47,257 --> 01:06:51,761
that we generate as a waste
and as a pollutant,
1107
01:06:51,845 --> 01:06:54,180
makes us Homo plasticus.
1108
01:06:54,639 --> 01:06:56,850
It's not a Homo sapiens anymore.
1109
01:07:01,521 --> 01:07:04,190
This is normal brain tissue. So...
1110
01:07:04,274 --> 01:07:06,818
it's like a space.
1111
01:07:06,901 --> 01:07:09,446
Nothing, just some nebula.
1112
01:07:11,197 --> 01:07:12,907
Yeah. Look.
1113
01:07:14,075 --> 01:07:15,326
- You see?
- What is that?
1114
01:07:15,410 --> 01:07:17,537
- Do you see the shape?
- Yeah. Yeah.
1115
01:07:17,787 --> 01:07:19,122
It's red, right?
1116
01:07:19,205 --> 01:07:21,624
- It's reddish. Yeah. Reddish purple.
- Yeah. Here.
1117
01:07:22,375 --> 01:07:24,252
So we can take the spectrum.
1118
01:07:26,463 --> 01:07:28,089
So it went rectangular,
1119
01:07:28,173 --> 01:07:30,675
and then it means it's really focused.
1120
01:07:31,676 --> 01:07:34,054
Okay, here we go.
1121
01:07:34,137 --> 01:07:35,388
Okay.
1122
01:07:35,472 --> 01:07:38,558
Look, this is the first spectrum.
1123
01:07:38,641 --> 01:07:40,352
So is that plastic?
1124
01:07:42,145 --> 01:07:44,606
Most probably.
We should take more...
1125
01:07:44,689 --> 01:07:47,692
- Samples, more scans?
- More scans, yeah, to be sure.
1126
01:07:47,776 --> 01:07:50,987
Because I will continue
to investigate after you...
1127
01:07:51,071 --> 01:07:53,031
- Yeah, after I leave.
- Yeah.
1128
01:07:53,448 --> 01:07:55,533
Are you surprised
by what we just found already?
1129
01:07:55,617 --> 01:07:58,828
Yeah, because it's not something...
1130
01:07:58,912 --> 01:08:00,914
- That should be there.
- Yeah.
1131
01:08:00,997 --> 01:08:02,248
Shouldn't be there.
1132
01:08:04,125 --> 01:08:06,169
You know, it's a bit tragic.
1133
01:08:07,504 --> 01:08:10,298
You are transferring
microplastics, plastics,
1134
01:08:10,423 --> 01:08:14,844
nanoplastics, and chemicals
to your unborn generation.
1135
01:08:25,188 --> 01:08:27,816
Sedat, good to see you again.
1136
01:08:27,899 --> 01:08:29,776
Yeah, good to see you. How are you?
1137
01:08:29,859 --> 01:08:33,071
I'm good, thank you.
So it's been a little while.
1138
01:08:33,905 --> 01:08:36,199
I just kind of wanted
to get an update from you.
1139
01:08:36,282 --> 01:08:37,867
What have you found?
1140
01:08:37,951 --> 01:08:40,745
Yeah, but there are
some good and bad news.
1141
01:08:40,954 --> 01:08:44,124
It's good for...
In a scientific manner,
1142
01:08:44,207 --> 01:08:48,378
but in the reality,
it's not really good news.
1143
01:08:48,670 --> 01:08:53,133
In the tumor-brain-tissue
that we analyzed,
1144
01:08:53,216 --> 01:08:56,803
we found six particles.
Two of them are blue pigments,
1145
01:08:57,721 --> 01:09:01,307
and those pigments
are used for production of plastics,
1146
01:09:01,391 --> 01:09:04,019
specifically, PVC plastics.
1147
01:09:04,102 --> 01:09:06,980
So, those pigments
are kind of additives.
1148
01:09:07,897 --> 01:09:11,234
Because plastics
have many chemicals inside,
1149
01:09:11,317 --> 01:09:13,403
it's like a chemical cocktail.
1150
01:09:13,486 --> 01:09:16,614
One of the elements
of this cocktail is pigment.
1151
01:09:17,115 --> 01:09:20,910
It's really scary,
but it's not surprising.
1152
01:09:25,498 --> 01:09:27,792
We're made of the world around us.
1153
01:09:27,917 --> 01:09:30,211
Everybody knows
that we're made of stardust.
1154
01:09:30,295 --> 01:09:33,006
I think the strange thing
is that we're starting to be made up of
1155
01:09:33,089 --> 01:09:35,467
a little bit
of microplastic dust as well.
1156
01:09:37,385 --> 01:09:40,638
We can't divorce plastic.
1157
01:09:40,722 --> 01:09:46,019
It's too knit into every aspect,
every pore of modern life.
1158
01:09:46,811 --> 01:09:48,646
That's a kind of addiction.
1159
01:09:48,730 --> 01:09:51,441
That's a kind of unhealthy dependence.
1160
01:09:51,524 --> 01:09:53,818
That's a toxic relationship.
1161
01:09:53,902 --> 01:09:55,904
And so, I think the question now is,
1162
01:09:55,987 --> 01:10:01,034
how do we manage and reset
the terms of this relationship?
1163
01:10:12,212 --> 01:10:14,297
Right now,
there's nothing legally binding
1164
01:10:14,381 --> 01:10:15,715
at any level, not national,
1165
01:10:15,840 --> 01:10:18,927
not regional, not international
that requires producers
1166
01:10:19,010 --> 01:10:22,889
to actually disclose how much
plastic is being produced.
1167
01:10:23,056 --> 01:10:25,308
They don't offer
any kind of transparency.
1168
01:10:25,392 --> 01:10:27,352
We don't know
if these materials are safe.
1169
01:10:27,435 --> 01:10:28,978
We don't know
how many of them there are.
1170
01:10:29,062 --> 01:10:31,147
We don't know where
they're being traded.
1171
01:10:31,231 --> 01:10:33,024
So, countries all around the world,
1172
01:10:33,108 --> 01:10:35,402
but led by Rwanda and Peru,
1173
01:10:35,485 --> 01:10:38,780
initiated this discussion to say
we need something that addresses
1174
01:10:38,863 --> 01:10:41,324
the full life cycle
of plastics from production
1175
01:10:41,449 --> 01:10:44,536
all the way through
to design, use, and end of life,
1176
01:10:44,661 --> 01:10:46,579
and also leakage
into the environment.
1177
01:10:49,541 --> 01:10:53,253
Rwanda, with beating plastic pollution,
has come a long way.
1178
01:10:54,254 --> 01:10:58,049
Plastic pollution was heading
to a very bad situation,
1179
01:10:59,050 --> 01:11:00,635
and the government of Rwanda
1180
01:11:00,719 --> 01:11:05,515
decided they were going to do away
with plastic carry bags in 2004.
1181
01:11:06,683 --> 01:11:08,393
By 2008,
1182
01:11:08,476 --> 01:11:13,231
we had our very first law
against polythene bags.
1183
01:11:13,314 --> 01:11:14,899
We saw a tremendous change.
1184
01:11:15,692 --> 01:11:17,902
We saw cleanliness all of a sudden,
1185
01:11:18,737 --> 01:11:20,947
we saw clogging of water channels
1186
01:11:21,031 --> 01:11:25,035
stopping because plastics
naturally clog the waterways.
1187
01:11:26,202 --> 01:11:30,331
But we also saw
development of businesses
1188
01:11:30,415 --> 01:11:32,625
that brought to the market alternatives
1189
01:11:32,709 --> 01:11:34,419
to plastic carry bags.
1190
01:11:34,544 --> 01:11:37,797
So the dependence was broken slowly,
1191
01:11:37,881 --> 01:11:39,883
gradually, but consistently.
1192
01:11:41,301 --> 01:11:43,511
But other single-use plastic items
1193
01:11:43,595 --> 01:11:45,805
now showed up on the market.
1194
01:11:46,348 --> 01:11:50,769
Plastic straws,
disposable cups, plates, cutlery.
1195
01:11:52,479 --> 01:11:56,733
And changing the market
to alternatives of plastics
1196
01:11:57,233 --> 01:12:00,737
with such a small population
is not possible.
1197
01:12:00,820 --> 01:12:04,366
You need some critical
mass of countries
1198
01:12:04,449 --> 01:12:07,702
that are banning the use
of single-use plastics
1199
01:12:07,827 --> 01:12:11,331
to attract research,
to attract the industry.
1200
01:12:12,832 --> 01:12:17,337
This is when Rwanda thought
it was necessary to engage
1201
01:12:17,420 --> 01:12:21,466
with other countries
to discuss this at a global arena.
1202
01:12:21,549 --> 01:12:25,595
Plastic production has far
surpassed sustainable levels.
1203
01:12:25,679 --> 01:12:28,181
The quantities
being produced today,
1204
01:12:28,264 --> 01:12:31,643
and projected in the future,
are simply unmanageable.
1205
01:12:31,726 --> 01:12:35,397
The language we are using here
is "restrain" and "reduce"
1206
01:12:35,480 --> 01:12:37,315
the primary polymers.
1207
01:12:37,399 --> 01:12:42,987
And this is not an easy job,
but we have to rise to the task.
1208
01:12:50,453 --> 01:12:52,414
There's a lot of questions
that need to be answered
1209
01:12:52,497 --> 01:12:54,374
in order to inform solutions,
1210
01:12:55,041 --> 01:12:57,711
which include different
practices by industry.
1211
01:12:57,794 --> 01:13:02,215
Also, cleanup and policies to reduce
or change our plastics economy.
1212
01:13:03,925 --> 01:13:05,552
The Experimental Lakes Area Project
1213
01:13:05,635 --> 01:13:08,096
is how we really,
really hope to answer that.
1214
01:13:20,734 --> 01:13:24,112
This is the first of its kind
microplastic experiment,
1215
01:13:24,612 --> 01:13:28,700
and it's a massive project.
We decided to use plastic
1216
01:13:28,783 --> 01:13:30,910
that was similar
to consumer product fragments.
1217
01:13:30,994 --> 01:13:33,705
They are among
the most common things we see
1218
01:13:33,788 --> 01:13:36,374
in really heavily urbanized areas.
1219
01:13:37,083 --> 01:13:40,378
So it's polyethylene,
this is polystyrene,
1220
01:13:40,503 --> 01:13:42,756
and this is PET
or polyethylene terephthalate.
1221
01:13:42,839 --> 01:13:44,591
This is what they use
to make water bottles.
1222
01:13:44,716 --> 01:13:47,135
This is what they use
to make a SOLO cup.
1223
01:13:47,218 --> 01:13:49,471
And then this is actually what
they use to make a kayak.
1224
01:13:53,683 --> 01:13:56,102
So we wet it, we release it underwater.
1225
01:13:56,644 --> 01:13:57,896
Yes, we got plastic.
1226
01:13:57,979 --> 01:14:00,315
And the purpose for that is,
it's meant to be in the lake,
1227
01:14:00,398 --> 01:14:01,900
not flying up into the air.
1228
01:14:05,320 --> 01:14:06,863
We'll do the addition for three years,
1229
01:14:06,946 --> 01:14:09,240
and we'll continue to follow it
as long as we have to.
1230
01:14:10,200 --> 01:14:12,369
And so, I hope that
by doing this research,
1231
01:14:12,452 --> 01:14:14,287
we can inform some of those solutions
1232
01:14:14,371 --> 01:14:15,955
to actually remediate it,
1233
01:14:16,039 --> 01:14:20,377
or to monitor it, or to prevent it
from getting into our water.
1234
01:14:29,469 --> 01:14:32,931
We started this process 15 years ago
1235
01:14:33,014 --> 01:14:35,558
and we became the first
plastic-free community
1236
01:14:35,642 --> 01:14:37,352
for North America.
1237
01:14:37,435 --> 01:14:39,604
We started with a water bottle,
1238
01:14:39,896 --> 01:14:44,401
and this little unit,
which has 5,500 fills of water.
1239
01:14:44,484 --> 01:14:46,069
And we translate that into
1240
01:14:46,152 --> 01:14:49,614
5,500 water bottles
that weren't purchased.
1241
01:14:49,698 --> 01:14:53,243
It's been so encouraging
for us to see the buy-in
1242
01:14:53,702 --> 01:14:55,662
by the citizens
and the local businesses.
1243
01:14:56,329 --> 01:14:59,708
Well, 90 percent of them have committed
to doing their very best
1244
01:14:59,791 --> 01:15:01,126
to becoming plastics-free.
1245
01:15:01,710 --> 01:15:03,211
These people are on board, too.
1246
01:15:03,294 --> 01:15:05,046
You can see our sticker
on the window, there.
1247
01:15:05,296 --> 01:15:07,132
Plastic-free business. Yeah.
1248
01:15:07,716 --> 01:15:09,342
And what we were able to do,
1249
01:15:09,426 --> 01:15:12,470
is to convince 142 community groups,
1250
01:15:12,554 --> 01:15:15,056
not politicians, community groups,
1251
01:15:15,140 --> 01:15:16,766
to get out there and do what we did.
1252
01:15:18,184 --> 01:15:21,354
It's happening, and it's a groundswell.
1253
01:15:21,479 --> 01:15:23,940
Today we're going to go to Hansen's.
And we've done this event in the past.
1254
01:15:24,024 --> 01:15:27,068
We're going to bring in these
reusable produce bags here.
1255
01:15:27,152 --> 01:15:31,156
Last spring we handed out over 300 bags,
so that was really good.
1256
01:15:31,239 --> 01:15:32,949
We're just handing out
some free, reusable,
1257
01:15:33,033 --> 01:15:35,201
- produce bags, if you're interested.
- Awesome. Yeah, for sure.
1258
01:15:35,285 --> 01:15:36,536
- Would you like to take one?
- Thank you.
1259
01:15:36,619 --> 01:15:39,164
So they're to use
instead of the single-use plastic bags
1260
01:15:39,247 --> 01:15:40,707
- currently in the produce department.
- Right on.
1261
01:15:40,790 --> 01:15:42,083
I'll give you the medium one, there.
1262
01:15:42,125 --> 01:15:44,169
- Thank you very much. It's awesome.
- No worries. Have a good day.
1263
01:15:44,252 --> 01:15:45,712
We're starting
to get people to understand
1264
01:15:45,795 --> 01:15:47,422
that it's a responsibility now.
1265
01:15:47,505 --> 01:15:49,215
This isn't just an idea.
1266
01:15:49,299 --> 01:15:50,967
This isn't just something
that we can be doing.
1267
01:15:51,051 --> 01:15:52,510
It's something
that we should be doing.
1268
01:15:55,597 --> 01:15:57,307
So, you're one
of the establishments here
1269
01:15:57,390 --> 01:15:59,017
- that has gone plastic-free.
- Yes, we are.
1270
01:16:00,226 --> 01:16:02,520
It was difficult to get supply.
1271
01:16:02,604 --> 01:16:05,940
It was costly, but over the years
it's gotten better and better.
1272
01:16:06,024 --> 01:16:09,903
A lot more variety,
and different items we can use.
1273
01:16:09,986 --> 01:16:12,364
And we're at about 90 percent
plastic free,
1274
01:16:12,447 --> 01:16:15,325
which, for a takeout place,
is pretty good.
1275
01:16:15,617 --> 01:16:17,827
There you go.
Brussel sprouts tacos.
1276
01:16:17,911 --> 01:16:19,329
- Thank you so much.
- Enjoy.
1277
01:16:19,412 --> 01:16:22,290
- Plastic-free tacos. My favorite kind.
- Plastic-free tacos.
1278
01:16:35,136 --> 01:16:36,846
We need to turn off the tap.
1279
01:16:39,182 --> 01:16:41,309
I think we need to dramatically reduce
1280
01:16:41,393 --> 01:16:43,687
the amount
of virgin plastic that gets produced.
1281
01:16:45,230 --> 01:16:47,565
We need to redesign hazardous chemicals
1282
01:16:47,649 --> 01:16:50,902
in ways that reduce their toxicity.
1283
01:16:51,486 --> 01:16:53,530
We know enough now to do that.
1284
01:16:55,532 --> 01:16:56,783
Knowledge is power,
1285
01:16:56,866 --> 01:16:59,119
and having literacy
or understanding of an issue
1286
01:16:59,202 --> 01:17:01,246
allows us to act upon it.
1287
01:17:01,329 --> 01:17:04,332
We didn't get here overnight.
We got here kind of one piece at a time,
1288
01:17:04,416 --> 01:17:07,502
and we can sort of turn back
the clock, one piece at a time.
1289
01:17:09,963 --> 01:17:13,591
We know that our society
can solve pollution problems.
1290
01:17:13,717 --> 01:17:16,761
Our grandparents
were exposed to pollutants
1291
01:17:16,845 --> 01:17:18,722
that don't exist anymore
1292
01:17:18,805 --> 01:17:22,392
because the human health
effects became clear.
1293
01:17:23,518 --> 01:17:25,895
Those chemicals were then banned,
1294
01:17:25,979 --> 01:17:28,648
and the population
was healthier as a result.
1295
01:17:29,315 --> 01:17:31,359
We know what the problem is.
It's not rocket science.
1296
01:17:32,861 --> 01:17:36,614
So we need to get on
with solving that problem
1297
01:17:37,282 --> 01:17:39,534
in the same way the previous generations
1298
01:17:39,617 --> 01:17:41,327
solved their pollution problems.